Draco and the Quest for Life andLove?
by RoseScor90
Summary: When Draco joined St.Mungo's, he expected to live a normal life....as normal as a redeemed Malfoy's life could be, that is. What he didn't expect was for his co-healer to instill something in him. He certainly didn't account for love.....not at all.......
1. Draco, the healer

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

**We all know how the war ended and what happened after nineteen years. But, what happened in between? This is my version of the intervening years in Draco's life where he grows from the misled teen to the responsible adult. It follows Draco from three years after the end of the war………….**

"I don't think this the way to go about redeeming yourself, Draco" Narcissa Malfoy insisted as she saw him off at the door to the Malfoy Manor. Draco had changed after the war. It was plain for anybody to see. But, his mother, even after three years, insisted that working at 's was not the way to redeem himself.

Not that he paid much heed to her, but Draco liked to think that he respected his Mum's wishes. Afterall, that's what had been lacking in her marriage, Lucius had never listened to her.

_And that,_ he thought as he apparated to his flat, _was what had destroyed his life…….._

Hello, everyone……..This is my first fanfic so I'd like to know what you guys think about it…….Review, please!!!!!!!!!

_Preview of next chap:_

"_Yes, Potter. I do know what I'm doing. If you will be so kind as to remove yourself from here, I'd be able to cure your charming girlfriend, here"_

"_Alright! I leaving" huffed Harry before leaving the room._

_Draco quickly performed some spells to get rid of the additional head that she had been sporting._

"_She's back to normal, Potter. You can stop trying to eavesdrop now" he said and added to Ginny,"I don't know how you put up with his…..curiosity" _

_Until the next time……….._


	2. Blue robes and familiar faces

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

**Chapter 2 : Blue robes and familiar faces**

"Wake up, Draco"

"Come on, get up"

"Do you want a bucket of water?"

"Draconis Lucius Malfoy! Wake up now or…….."

"Draco! Your Mum is here!"

"What? Where?"

Draco shot up from bed and went looking throughout the flat for his mother.

"Why did you say that?" he growled as he fell back on the bed after a futile search for his mother.

"Well! That was the only way to get you out of bed…."

Draco got out of bed, mumbling something about _stupid alarm clocks and their stupid ways of waking people._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As he entered the 's hospital, he noted that there was less commotion than what was usual on a Saturday.

_Didn't anybody grow any unusual body parts today? _He wondered as he entered the room labeled "DRACO MALFOY DEPUTY HEAD OF MAGICAL MALADIES"

_Ah! The joys of being the assistant head _he thought as he looked around the room at the other healers bustling about in their neon green robes. His own robes were a deep blue, signifying that he was higher up in the organization than the others.

There were several such classifications in the uniform. Yellow meant trainee; neon green meant healer and there were such other colours that he couldn't be bothered to remember.

As he sat at his table, a trainee burst into the room and said, "Healer Malfoy! There is a problem"

"When isn't there a problem?" he sighed as he went over to look at his first patient of the day.

And thus, the day went from one patient to another.

Now, one might wonder how the world's most impatient person, namely Draco, could have become a healer. He often thought about it himself. In the beginning it had been difficult. 's was wary of his interest in healing and of course some patients simply refused to be treated by him. But, as the days wore on, he was able to gain the trust of the wizarding world and now, some patients even specifically asked for him.

_Like Mrs. Appleby _he thought as he hurried to look at her. The woman was around her sixties and was a regular visitor there. These visits were primarily initiated by her undeterred attempts to cook using magic.

"Hello Mrs. Appleby!" Draco greeted her as he entered the room where she was admitted.

"Oh! Hello Draco! Good day to you" she said and immediately began to faint.

_There goes __**her**__ good day._

XXXXXXXXX

"I'm leaving for the day, Claire. Healer Weasley will be here soon" Draco said as he took his cloak and prepared to leave.

"There is just one more patient for you, Healer Malfoy" Claire said as she led a man in.

_And so, we meet again_ Draco thought as he saw Potter enter the room.

"What happened Potter? Confounded yourself?"

"Malfoy. The war hasn't done you any good, I see"

"What's the matter, Potter? I don't have time to waste on you"

"It's Ginny…"

At the mention of her name, Ginny Weasley came into the room with her heads looking to the floor. _Wait_ …….._heads?_

"What did you do, Potter?"

"I……."

"Never mind. Miss. Weasley, if you will" he said as he directed her to a table by his side and began waving his wand checking for any permanent spell damage.

"What happened, Miss. Weasley?"

"Well……Harry took me out for breakfast today and he tried to conjure up something, I'm not sure what"

"A bouquet of flowers" Harry replied as he looked at Ginny with guilt "I messed up the spell and….."

"How did the spell hit her?"

"I _might _have been holding the wand in front of her face"

_Stupid Potter. How he defeated Voldemort is beyond me._

Harry looked on warily as Draco tried several tests to assess the cause.

"Alright, I will have to ask you to leave the room for a few minutes, Potter"

"What? No way! I'm not leaving her alone with you Malfoy! Do you think I'm stupid?"

"You don't want me to answer that"

"How do I know that you won't kidnap her while I'm gone? Do you even _know_ what you have to do? You might even make her situation worse that it already is!"

"I don't think the situation can get any worse than this. And, yes Potter. I do know what I'm doing. If you will be so kind as to remove yourself from here, I'd be able to cure your charming girlfriend, here"

"Alright! I'm leaving" huffed Harry before leaving the room.

Draco quickly performed some spells to get rid of the additional head that she had been sporting.

"She's back to normal, Potter. You can stop trying to eavesdrop now" he said and added to Ginny, "I don't know how you put up with his…..curiosity"

"I don't either" she muttered so that Harry wouldn't be able to hear.

"Now, Potter. I don't think there is any more reason for you to torture me with your presence. Leave"

"Do you treat all your patients this way, Malfoy?"

"Do you take _all_ your girlfriends out for _breakfast, _Potter?"

"What?.........She………That…….."

"Cat got your tongue, Potter?"

"That is none of your business, Malfoy!" Harry said as he left the room with Ginny.

Feeling refreshed, Draco exited his room.

_Nothing like a good spar to energize you _he thought as he walked towards the exit.

_Yellow robes, green robes, blue robes……._

_What did blue mean?_

_Never mind_

Just as he was about to leave the hospital, he saw a blue robed woman on the steps.

_She seems familiar…..Now, where have I seen her?_

A/n: Hi everybody!!!!!!Hope you are enjoying the story. Id like to have some suggestions as to whose POV you'd like next. Draco? Astoria? Or Blaise?

Review, as always.

_Preview of next chapter:_

"_What do they mean, Patil?"_

"_Why are you so curious?"_

"_Forget it!"_

"_No need to be so impatient, Malfoy. Blue robes mean…….."_


	3. Old friends and undecipherable runes

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 3 : Old friends and undecipherable runes

Draco looked at the house that loomed before him with something akin to happiness. Calling on his friends, especially this one, was one of his most favored pass times.

Over the years, Draco had managed to gain and retain the friendship of Blaise Zabini.

Now, entering his house, Draco was faced at once with the homey feel of it as well as the subtle hints at the wealth of its residents.

The first was what he had longed for in his own home in his early years. Now, though, he knew there never had been any hope for that at all.

As he proceeded to the kitchen, (Yes, that was where Blaise and Pansy were) he heard voices from within. Not wanting to embarrass them, he knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds.

"You don't have to knock every time, Draco" Pansy admonished as she opened the door to let him in." We were just talking about you"

"What about me?"

"We were just wondering how long it would be before you settled down" Blaise commented as he drank his coffee.

His deep blue eyes stared right into Draco's stormy grey ones as if trying to decipher an answer from them.

_Just like deciphering his runes _Draco thought as turned to look at Pansy.

After the war, Blaise had gone to Egypt in order to escape the post war trauma and had gotten fascinated with the hieroglyphics and had started researching them.

"Any luck on that Chinese rune, Blaise?"

"I just can't find a pattern, Draco. There are just so many symbols to learn! It's frustrating not to understand anything"

"You'll get it eventually, Blaise" Draco said as he took the cup of coffee Pansy offered. After taking her own cup, she sat beside Blaise and looked at Draco.

"Don't change the subject, Draco"

"I'm not, Blondie"

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not blond!"

"I never said that, did I?" Darco smirked at Blaise.

"Children! Please stop fighting"

Pouting, Pansy got up to leave the room when she heard Draco murmur something like "elusive as the Scarlet Pimpernel"

"Scarlet, what?"

"Nothing"

"Is it a muggle book?"

"Yeah"

"I'll never understand your fascination with them, Draco" she said as she sat down again.

_Close call._

"So, who's elusive?"

_Or not._

"No one"

"Come on, Draco. You can tell us"

Blaise's eyes sparkled with interest as he, who was nearer to Draco heard what he mumbled under his breath.

"I know the coffee is intriguing, Draco but could you please be a bit louder?"

"There is this girl I've been trying to find………"

"And"

"And…..nothing"

"Nothing?"

"I haven't been able to find her. She works in 's for heavens sake!"

"Which section? I have friends there. Maybe I could help you" Pansy squealed enthusiastically.

Ever since marrying Blaise, Pansy had had this _insane _idea that everyone around her should be as happy as her. And Draco topped that list.

_If anybody deserves a good life, Draco does _Blaise thought as he listened to Draco describe the girl.

"I didn't get a close look at her. All I know is that she has blond hair"

"Reeeeal helpful Draco. That just narrows it down to 60% of the women population"

"She wears blue robes"

"Draco!"

"No no. I meant she wears the blue robes that 's gives to its employees".

"Like yours? So she is a Deputy Head too?"

"I'd know the Deputy Heads from a mile off, Pansy. Her robes are pale blue unlike mine"

"What does that mean? All this colors and codes confuse me"

_So says the wife of one of the world's best code breakers_ Draco found himself smirking as he began to answer her question.

"Pale blue robes mean………"

Flashback:

"_Hey Malfoy!"_

_Draco turned as he heard his name called._

"_You are……….Patil?"_

"_Padma Patil"_

"_You went to Hogwarts, right?"_

"_Yes"_

"_So, what did you want?"_

"_Nothing, Draco. I just wanted to greet you. I work at the reception table here"_

"_Then how come I've never seen you here before?"_

"_You just never noticed"_

"Oh! I must be going now"

"_Alright, Malfoy. See you 'round"_

"_Ya……..Hey, wait!"_

"_Yes?"_

"_Do you know which Department healers wear pale blue robes?"_

"_What is it to you, Malfoy?"_

"_What do they mean, Patil?"_

"_Why are you so curious?"_

"_Forget it!"_

"_No need to be so impatient, Malfoy. Blue robes mean Muggle medication, but there are several sections in them. You have to be a bit more specific. Did you notice the right hand?"_

"_Why would I do that?"_

"'_cause there are bands on them that signify the sections"_

"_Oh! Thanks, Patil"_

"_Now will you tell me why you are so curious?"_

"_I don't think I will. Bye, Patil"_

"_Until the next time, Malfoy"_

_There won't be a next time he thought as he returned to his room irritated with Gryffindors and their curiosities._

End of flashback

"Muggle medication. There are several sections in them and I don't know which one she is in"

"Isn't there anything else you had noticed about her?"

"Well………"

"What?"

"This isn't going to be very useful, but, she was wearing a sort of……..brooch, I guess, which was that of a spread eagle. It didn't look like something you'd find in stores, you know. It was the family heirloom sort of thing"

"So you are searching for a blond haired, eagle brooch-wearing, healer who knows muggle medication and works at 's, right?"

"Yes"

"I think you should abandon this search right now Draco"

"Why?"

"You are wasting time"

"Do you know her?"

"No!" Pansy said quickly.

_Too quickly _Draco thought as he retorted.

"You are the one who insists on me settling down and when I find someone you want me to abandon her"

"I want a good life for you, Draco. That's why I'm telling you to do this"

"Whatever, Pansy. I must be leaving now" he said as he got up to leave.

"Don't forget what I said, Draco." Pansy almost _warned _as she let him out.

"You are hiding something" Blaise said as he circled his arms around her waist.

"I never was good at lying to you. Might as well….I know who he is talking about"

"You do? That's great! But why didn't you tell him?"

"It's the best for the both of them"

"Why?"

"Draco needs some one who will understand him, not some one who would hate the mere mention of his name".

"Who is she? Who could hate Draco so?"

"Astoria Greengrass"

"Ah…….."

_What's with all the mystery? First Patil with her inquisitiveness and now Pansy's refusal to tell him who she was. Pansy knows who she is. Definitely. I'll find her out. Damn if I won't._

A/n: Hi guys! I don't know if the Blaise/Pansy pairing was okay but I just thought that they would be perfect as a couple. They are going to have a crucial role in the story. I don't know much about Chinese hieroglyphics so I apologize if there was any mistake. And I didn't mean to offend blond haired people, either.

As always……….review!


	4. Meeting her and naming children

**First of all, I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed. Thanks a lot. You guys make my day. On to the story now.**

"Healer Malfoy?"

"Yes?"

"You are needed at the Muggle medication section"

"Alright"

As the days wore on, Draco had tried to hound information out of Pansy about the girl, _Pansy who had never been able to keep a secret, not from him at least, _with little success_. _

He had concluded that he would wait for a time when he could get it out of her. That didn't mean he hadn't seen the woman since. Yes, yes he had seen her again. It's impossible for two people not to meet again when both of them work at the same place. The only new thing he knew about her was that she was tall, near 5'8'' and that she had haunting, at least to him, green eyes. If he hadn't known better he would have sworn that she had Potter's eyes. But, as it was, her eyes were expressionless and certainly not like Potter's. That was what irked him the most. Her eyes slid right through him as if she didn't even see him. And she made it a point to hurry every time he saw her.

_Definitely elusive _he thought as he made his way over to the muggle section.

After the war, a separate wing had been build in the hospital especially for muggle medication. At first people had gone there merely out of curiosity but it had gradually turned into an integral part of the institution.

As he entered into the patient's ward, he was greeted with the same haunting green eyes he had been thinking of just then.

Her eyes, _again, _slid through him.

"What is the problem, Miss……"

"An obliviate charm gone wrong" she answered, ignoring the hanging question in his words.

"I'm afraid you have to be a bit more detailed if you expect me to be of any help"

"That would be my cue" said a healer, as she rushed in, "You can leave now, Tori. I'm sorry, Healer Malfoy. I had to look after another patient and my friend here was just filling in for me in the meanwhile".

"Oh, alright. What section does she handle, then?" _Tori?_

"Psychiatry"

"Psych, what?"

"Psychiatry. It's a study of the human mind, emotions, feelings, attitudes and such. Practically speaking, she helps people who are just too lazy to get themselves together and face their problems"

"So, what seems to be the problem with this one?" he asked turning back to the patient. _Psychiatrist, eh?_

_Draco-1, Pansy-0._

"He is a muggle".

"Figured as much"

"There was a duel in the streets and this one apparently saw it. So then, one of the duelers, or both of them as I recall, tried to obliviate him, each trying to obliviate only the memory of themselves dueling in hopes of getting the other in trouble. As you can see………both their spells went wrong and we have this one to deal with now"

"Let's get to it then"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Knock. Knock.

"I'm coming!"

"Take your time, Draco. We'll just be in the front room".

_Why in hell did he knock then?_

As he entered the room, Draco had just spotted a mop of mahogany hair on the top of the sofa before he was blinded by a whiz of red hair as it slammed into him.

"I'm so happy to see you after soooooooooo long, Uncle Draco".

"Me too, Mae. Me too"

"Daddy refused to take me to the park today. Can we go, Uncle Draco? Pleeeeeeeeease" she asked with a pout.

_She knows I can't say no to those puppy dog eyes _Draco thought as he took her by the arm and led her to the sofa.

"Why not, Theo?"

"It was a tie between you and the park and little miss tattletale here choose to come here and now she blames me" Theo huffed.

_Sometimes, it's hard to see who the child is and who the parent is _Draco thought as he took Mae to the park.

He settled on a bench of the park with Nott as he watched Mae play. _He had always felt sorry for Mae and an inexplicable amount of love. Nobody should have a parent who didn't love them and Mae had exactly that. Atleast she had Theo._

"Something's bothering you, Draco"

"It's nothing. I just felt sad for Mae. I'd forgotten how little she was".

"We leave you for a week and you forget us"

"It isn't that Theo. I just wish she could have a perfect childhood"

"The one you didn't have?"

"Yeah"

"You can't run everyone's lives, Draco. You can't _make _someone love. It just happens".

"But how can you not love your own child?"

"I don't blame her, Draco. She didn't even know me that well. To her, Mae was just a mistake that she was glad to be rid off. Be happy. You got to name the kid and watch it grow up, didn't you. Mae wouldn't have got an uncle like you otherwise"

"Yeah, I know".

Flashback:

"_She left, Draco. She didn't even want to see the child"_

"_It's alright Theo. What's her name, by the way?"_

"_I haven't named her yet. Do you have any idea?"_

_Draco moved near the crib and looked the beautiful child within._

_And that was when Mae smiled up at Draco and captured his heart once and for all._

"_May"_

"_What?"_

"_Let's name her Mae, alright?"_

"_May as in, M-A-Y?"_

"_No. Mae as in M-A-E"_

"_But, why?"_

"_This gonna sound real sappy but her smile's like the sun in the month of May, blinding, so warm and it blocks anything else out"._

"_When did, Draco Malfoy, git extraordinaire, turn into such a softy?"_

"_Your daughter can turn Voldemort into a softy if she tried, Theo"_

End of flashback

"What have you been upto in the past week, Draco?"

"Except meeting Mum, visiting the Zabinis and going for work? Nothing"

"The usual, then"

"That's what my life is all about, Theo. Being normal . Some people would consider it boring but that's what I yearn for".

"Normalcy?"

"Yup" Draco said as he got up to go play with Mae who was having trouble with the swing.

_Something has changed. I don't know what but Draco's definitely changed. May be the long overdue visit to the Zabini Manor was in order. Pansy'd definitely know _Nott thought as he joined Draco and his daughter to Draco's flat.

_Daughter _Nott wondered shaking his head. _If anybody had told Theodore Nott that he would have a two year old bundle of sunshine in his arms by twenty-one three years before he'd have choked from laughter and replied with "Yeah, and I'm Voldemort's heir". But that's how it turned out._

A/n : I know I know. Too boring a chapter. It was just a filler. I guess I got a little carried away with the idea of Mae but she just appeared in my head and started dancing screaming at me to write her and so, there you go, Mae.

I'd appreciate it if some one could tell me if Draco is being too OOC in this fic 'cause I want him to be the real Draco and not my own sappy version of him.

The next chapter may take a while since I'd be busy the next week and all that. So, until then.

Did I mention, revieeeeeeeeeeeeew please!

Here is the preview of the next chapter :

"_It isn't good for either of them, Theo. Don't you understand?"_

"_I think you ought to let them decide that, Pansy"_

"_He doesn't even remember her, Theo!"_

"_He was never interested in Ravenclaws, or have you forgotten he was a Slytherin?"_

"_He hardly behaves like one anymore"_

"_Are you angry with him for that?"_

"_I'm happy for him, Theo but his……change is only going to worsen his hurt. He is looking for something he didn't have all his life, Theo, not something he already ran from"_

"_And that is?"_

"_Hate"_

"_What's with the mystery? You think he won't ever figure it out?"_

"_I'm hoping to prolong it so that he will lose interest"._

"_You know Draco, Pansy. He only becomes more stubborn when something is hidden from him. Remember the brooch?"_

"_He promptly lost interest in it after he got it"_

"_He still keeps it in his pocket, Pansy. You just didn't notice it. And Draco isn't the only one who needs love, Pansy. Last time I saw, Astoria was still hurting, and hurting badly"._

"_And who caused that?"_

"_It wasn't his fault!"_

"_Tori deems it so"_

Too long a preview? I thought so too. But I couldn't resist it.

Any ideas on the forthcoming chapters? I'm always up for suggestions.

See ya!


	5. birthday parties and scheming women

I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed. Thank you soooooooooo much

Chapter 5:

"See you later, Draco"

"Yeah. Take care of Mae. Bye, Mae"

"Bye, Uncle Draco! I will come by real soon"

_Where did she learn that expression?_

"Let's go, Mae. Uncle Draco has work tomorrow. He has to rest" Nott said as he led Mae from the block.

"Hold on tight"

"Are we going to appa…..apperate?"

"Yes, dear. Now hold on"

He apparated to the front porch of their home near Diagon Alley. As they entered, he was struck with the smell of dinner. _Delicious_.

_Who was here?_

As he entered the kitchen, he saw Pansy cooking dinner.

"Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"Oh! You are here. I hope you don't mind. I thought I'd cook dinner while I waited. Come here Mae. Give your favourite aunt a hug" Pansy said as she lifted Mae into her arms.

"Sure. Thanks. Where's Blaise?"

"Out by the pond. Did you know there are merpeople in your pond?"

"Yeah. They have been here for a long time now. My ancestors could speak their language and it has sort of bound them to us"

"You never told us that"

"You never asked"

"Draco's rubbing off on you too much, Theo"

"About Draco. Mae don't you want to go see Uncle Blaise? And the pretty water-people?"

"Water-people?"

"That's what she calls them"

"Yay! Bye!" Mae jumped out the back door and he could see her skipping up to where Blaise was standing near the pond and attack him with a hug, nearly toppling him into the pond.

"What about Draco, Theo?"

"He has changed. So much. It's frightening. It's as if half the time he isn't even listening to what I say. It's as if he's got a riddle stuck in his head. A riddle he isn't able to solve. If I didn't know better I'd say he was becoming interested in Astronomy. He stares at the sky so much".

"Draco was never interested in Astronomy. You know that"

"What's his problem, then?"

"Our Draco has found himself a crush is all"

"A what?"

"You heard me right the first time"

"I don't think so. Why didn't he tell me then? Surely he'd tell me and Blaise?"

"He's trying to be discreet about it. He doesn't want me to know what he's doing"

"Why not? You are the one who pesters him all the time about his love life"

"May be because I told him to forget the girl"

"Why would you do that?"

"They aren't suited for each other"

"How would you know? Who is she by the way?"

"Astoria Greengrass"

"_Astoria? Tori? Are you kidding me?"_

"I'm damn serious, Theo".

"Well well. Looks like………….Draco………..has outdone………….himself……….this time" Nott panted as he laughed.

"Not funny, Theo. Both of them are my very good friends. I'd hate to see either of them hurt. That's why I refused to tell him who she was"

"Do you mean to say he doesn't remember her? Draco is crushing after someone without even knowing her name?"

"Yeah"

"Pansy, I hate to be the voice of reason here but I don't think either of us should meddle in this"

"We are his friends. Who else, if not us, has the rights, then?"

"You can't control who Draco likes and who he doesn't, Pansy"

"I just want to protect him. Both of them"

"You are just complicating things, Pansy. Both of them have to meet sometime. Why are you prolonging it?"

"It isn't good for either of them, Theo. Don't you understand?"

"I think you ought to let them decide that, Pansy"

"He doesn't even remember her, Theo!"

"He was never interested in Ravenclaws, or have you forgotten he was a Slytherin?"

"He hardly behaves like one anymore"

"Are you angry with him for that?"

"I'm happy for him, Theo but his……change is only going to worsen his hurt. He is looking for something he didn't have all his life, Theo, not something he already ran from"

"And that is?"

"Hate"

"What's with the mystery? You think he won't ever figure it out?"

"I'm hoping to prolong it so that he will lose interest".

"You know Draco, Pansy. He only becomes more stubborn when something is hidden from him. Remember the brooch?"

"He promptly lost interest in it after he got it"

"He still keeps it in his pocket, Pansy. You just didn't notice it. And Draco isn't the only one who needs love, Pansy. Last time I saw, Astoria was still hurting, and hurting badly".

"And who caused that?"

"It wasn't his fault!"

"Tori deems it so"

"May be it's time she learnt the truth. Or more like accepted what she already knows. She can't just blame things on people just because she feels like it".

"Don't you dare criticize her, Theo. You know exactly why she blames him. The hate is all that keeps her going. Can't you see that she's growing weaker by the day? She's losing her spirit, Theo. Hate is all she has left. I'm not ready to lose my best friend, Theo. Oh! I wish she had died three years ago. She wouldn't have to go through such agony now and I'd be spared from watching her disintegrate day by day" Pansy ended in a sob.

"Pansy! Stop it. I know how much she means to you but I think meeting Draco will do her more good than bad. Nothing you did could cure her. Let's see if she hates Draco enough to gain back her spirit".

"You think this will work?"

"Nothing else has, so far. Let's do this as a sort of desperate measure, alright?".

"Alright, I guess. How do we arrange for it?"

"Leave that to the genius".

"Evil mastermind, you mean"

"Who's that?" Blaise asked as he entered with Mae trotting behind him.

"Theo, here has taken the responsibility of arranging for a meeting for Draco and Astoria".

"I thought you didn't want them to meet?"

"Well……Theo has managed to convince me that that would be the best way to solve the 'what ifs'".

"How do you plan to do that?"

"Mae's birthday is approaching…….."

"Birthday! Birthday! Cakes! Sweets! Party!!!!!!" Mae cried as she began jumping around flinging her hands wildly.

"Yes Mae. We'll have all that" Nott assured her as he turned to the couple. "I'm planning on throwing her a party and since both Draco and Tori are close to me…………"

"They'll have to come and will meet each other. I see. Are you sure you are ready for this, Theo? Are you willing to wreck your girl's birthday party?"

"You speak as if I'm planning on planting a bomb in there".

"With those two, there's no telling what'll happen" Pansy warned.

"Those two are temperamental enough to blow up the house, I'll admit but it's a chance I'm willing to take"

"Alright, then. How are you going to arrange for a party in………a week, right?"

"Yeah. I guess I'll have to scramble together something"

"Don't worry. Leave it to me. Mae'll have the best second birthday any girl ever had".

"Thanks, Pansy. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't offered help".

"You'd probably have put up the decorations for Halloween by mistake, ordered pizza instead of cake and invited Crabbe and Goyle instead of Draco and Astoria".

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"Mate! You ARE that bad at planning events. Admit it. Pansy, don't go overboard trying to plan it. Let it be a small gathering so that both of them will feel comfortable enough to attend".

"Okay. Theo, we'll send the invitations the day after tomorrow and I'll go convince Tori tomorrow. Make sure Draco comes".

"Aye aye captain" Nott did a mock salute as he stood up to set the table.

Small talk reigned the table while the four ate.

"I'll see you later, Theo" Blaise said as he left through the door.

"See you later, birthday girl. I haven't forgotten you, Theo. As soon as I'm done with Draco, you'll be my next project".

"You should have become an Auror. You have _constant vigilance _as Moody'd say".

"Pity he died in the war. He was scary enough and funny enough for the entire Ministry".

"Yeah".

"Bye Theo".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Astoria woke up to the sound of Pansy's face screaming her name from the fireplace.

"Gee! Could you be a bit louder? France couldn't hear you" she mumbled as she rolled out of bed.

"I wouldn't have had to shout if you had woken up the first time I called"

"Alright! What is it that you want now? I'm not coming for another one of your shopping sprees. I still have bruises from walking so much the last time we went".

"Do you remember Mae?"

"Who? Mae? Yeah I remember her. Theo's child, right?"

"Yeah".

"What about her?"

"Do you have work today?"

"No. I have the day off. You know that".

"Just checking. What if you had………like, a date?"

"You know I don't date, Pansy"

"Nothing's changed then"

"No. Nothing's changed from the last time we met which was last week".

"Look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed today"

Though Pansy said that, she could see the shadows under her eyes and the red rimming in her eyes.

_Still mourning, then._

"Shall I come over at say………ten o'clock?"

"What time is it now?"

"Seven am?"

"Why you! You wake me up at such an _ungodly hour _on my off-day! Out! Out!" she screamed as she rose out of bed and went towards the fireplace.

"See ya at ten" Pansy said as she disappeared from the fire.

_Stupid scheming woman _she thought as she went to get ready for the day.

A/n: Hi everybody! I know I'd said that I wouldn't be able to update the entire week but I just couldn't stay away from the story, so there!

Any suggestions, criticisms are always welcome.

Review!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not going to give you a preview since the next chapter is very important. Bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	6. Party plans and old pains

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 6: Party plans and old pains

As Pansy flooed to Astoria's place, she could see her moving around the kitchen making breakfast.

_Such grace _Pansy mused _I could never be that graceful in a hundred years._

"Hey Pansy! Sit down. Have some breakfast".

As Pansy sat down she looked around the kitchen. Not much had changed except the clock that said the date.

_Constant _thought Pansy as she nibbled on the plate of bacon Astoria placed before her _she never changes. Nothing in her life does. May be Theo was right. May be change will be good for her. May be it's the high time for it._

"So, what did you want to tell me about Mae? Is there any problem? Is she ill?"

"Step down from Healer mode, Tori. Mae is well. Actually, I came here to invite you to her birthday party".

_Better be honest. She won't get suspicious then._

"No"

"What?"

"No. I won't come. Wish her a very happy birthday for me. I'll owl her present".

"Why not? I was hoping for a little help planning it"

"I'll help you organize but I can't attend"

"Please, Tori. You need to socialize, just a bit and this is the perfect opportunity"

"Thank you for the concern, Pansy. But no thanks"

_There she goes again. Alienating people. If that's the way you want it, Tori………_

"Stop trying to push me away, Astoria. It didn't work in the past. It isn't going to work now".

"Please, Pansy. Try to see this through my eyes. A birthday party is a happy occasion and it's going to remind me of………"

"Your family. I know. You have mourned them enough, Tori. It's time to move on"

"I know. That's what I keep telling myself. You know I'm trying, Pansy. That's why I joined St. Mungo's. But, this…….."

"Trust me on this Tori. You'll enjoy it. There won't be many people there. Just a few of us. It'll do you some good to meet your Hogwarts friends".

That had her thinking.

_It has been so long since I met them. May be this isn't such a bad idea. But, something doesn't sound right. _

"What is it, Pansy? You're hiding something. I know it".

"What? Nothing. Nothing at all".

"You're the worst liar on the planet, Pansy. You can't keep a secret even if your life depended on it. Now, spill".

"It's just that I'm anxious of the planning and………"

"And?"

"And the guest list. Theo and Blaise want it to be a cozy affair with only 5 to 10 people, but I want to make it grand"

"The event of the century, you mean. I go by Nott and Blaise on this one, Pansy. It should be a small gathering. That is what will make it all the more endearing"

"Guess you are right" sighed Pansy as she took out a piece of parchment.

"Not that piece of parchment again!! Come on, Pansy. That planner of yours should have been thrown away millenniums back"

"You know it comes in handy when we have too many things to remember, and let me tell you, we're going to have a LOT to remember if we want to make this party go smoothly"

"Alright. So, what did you want to discuss first?"

"The date, place and time?"

"Theo's house, naturally and the evening should be fine. It's a birthday party, Pansy. Of course it should be held on her birthday. That's the whole point of the party, right?" Astoria explained the last part as if Pansy was a five-year old.

"I don't have amnesia, Tori. I just wanted to know if we should have it on that weekend or not".

"No. On her birthday. Definitely. Next?"

"Themes?"

"Pansy!! It's a birthday party. Not a _bloody ball. _No themes"

And so went the day, Astoria occasionally, scratch that, almost all the time, had to restrain Pansy so that she wouldn't go overboard with it.

"Anything else, Pansy?"

"One last thing. The Guest List"

"Well……..You and Blaise, obviously. Me, regrettably".

Ignoring the jab, Pansy asked, "Then?"

"Millicent? Avery? Crabbe? Goyle?"

"Yes to the first. No to the second, and no way in bloody hell to the last two. Don't you want Mae to have a cake on her birthday?"

"Okay. Anybody else?"

"Invite someone from your place".

"May be I'll invite Mercy"

"Yeah. She's fun. Anybody else?"

"Did you ask Nott? Did he say he wanted to invite anybody in particular?"

"I already asked him. He said he left it to my choice. He just wanted his close friends to be there. Who else is there………..Oh! I almost forgot!"

"Who?"

"Draco, of course. How could I forget him?"

"Malfoy?"

"How many other Dracos do you know?"

"Okay. Who else?"

"Okay?_Okay? _You aren't going to object?"

"Why should I? It's Nott's party. Not mine. He's free to invite anybody he wishes" she replied coolly.

_Could have fooled me _thought Pansy as she wrote down Draco's name, _if it weren't for the desperate attempt at logic, the slight narrowing of the eyes and the stiffness of the voice._

"Alright then. We've done enough planning for one day, don't you think?"

_More like for a century._

"I should be leaving now. Blaise'll be back from work. We're going to China tomorrow for his research so I'll get back to on the day after, okay?"

"Sure, Pansy. I'll be working that day. Could you come by for lunch?"

"Sure. Will you be able to handle the invitations by yourself?"

"Of course"

As soon as Pansy's form disappeared from her fireplace, Astoria ran upstairs into the attic. It had been too close a call this time. The attic was a long room filled with broken chairs, chests and whatnot.

But those weren't what held her attention.

The room was dark and dusty.

But that wasn't what bothered her.

At the end of the corridor like room, there hung a portrait. That of a family. A beautiful one. A perfect one.

That's what she had always thought of her family. _Perfect. To a fault._

_May be that's why they were taken from her. May be that's why she wasn't able to move on. May be that's why she never forgave………No. She wouldn't think of them. Of him._

As she stood there, the occupants of the portrait smiled and waved at her.

She stared at her own face looking out at her from the frame. It then blew a kiss at her.

_Bold. Out-going. Rash. Free. That was how she had been. The spit-fire. And, now…….._

_Now, she was alone. All alone._

A low cry of a bird was all the company she had as she cried her heart out.

Later, as the sun began its journey through the other hemisphere, she came down wiping her eyes. Since she knew she'd never be able to stop the tears, she'd never promised herself otherwise. Since she knew the proverb _Out of sight, out of mind _was rubbish, she never tried to rearrange the house. It'd always remind her of them. No matter what. She'd once considered moving out but, the mere thought had brought on such a sharp blast of pain that she'd pushed the idea aside just as soon as it had occurred to her.

_Move on. What a stupid way to forget the people who had meant so much. Move on. Yeah, right._

_How do you move on from everything you knew? From everything you loved? From the only thing that mattered?_

As she drank a glass of water, Astoria tried to change the direction of thoughts her mind was taking.

_Two breakdowns in a day isn't going to help anyone _she thought as she ate a scanty dinner and went to bed.

_The dreams were always the same. Their death. Her agony. The betrayal. His silhouette._

A/n: Hi guys!!!!! Another day and another chapter. I'm not so very happy with this one. I think I could have done better. Anyway, the next chapter will be the party, so hang in there.

As always, review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Preview:

_Hiya, Mercy! Good to see you after so long" Pansy greeted as she led Mercy into the room. It had been decorated beautifully to resemble a clear night sky with dozens of stars adorning the roof, twinkling at Mae whenever she happened to look up._

"_This is beautiful" Mercy exclaimed as she went towards the drinks table._

"_It was all Tori's idea. She's quite taken with the sky as is Mae and so she insisted that it be decorated this way"_

"_Why, Tori! It's simply marvelous"_

"_Thanks, but Pansy is the one who did all the dirty work. I just gave her the ideas to work on" Astoria said as she looked around at the people._

_Not here yet._

_May be he won't come. That'd be good._

"_He won't miss it, Tori"_

"_What? Who?"_

"_Draco"_

_Think of the devil and it'll appear she thought as she watched him enter._

"_Stop imagining things, Pansy"_


	7. Birthday party n overheard conversation

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 7: Birthday Parties and Overheard Conversations

"You look smashing, Tori now let's leave"

"You wait in the Drawing room, Pansy. It'll just take a few more minutes"

"Be quick. We can't be late for a party we're hosting" Pansy warned as she left the room.

"Oh! Alright. I'll be there"

Astoria looked at herself in the mirror. The woman that looked back at her had vivid green eyes. Her blond, almost golden hair was swept away from its place on her shoulders accentuating their beauty. The pale lavender off-shoulder top she wore contrasted with the deep green skirt nicely. Pleased with her appearance, Astoria let out a sigh as she prepared herself for the onslaught of attention her appearance will bring about. Especially the attention of the one person she had been trying to avoid all week. She was too vulnerable be casual but she'd manage.

_Here goes nothing _she thought as she entered the room and went towards Pansy who was greeting a short brunette who had just entered. Her dark eyes lit up when she saw Astoria enter the room.

"Hiya, Mercy! Good to see you after so long" Pansy greeted as she led Mercy into the room. It had been decorated beautifully to resemble a clear night sky with dozens of stars adorning the roof, twinkling at Mae whenever she happened to look up.

"This is beautiful" Mercy exclaimed as she went towards the drinks table.

"It was all Tori's idea. She's quite taken with the sky as is Mae and so she insisted that it be decorated this way"

"Why, Tori! It's simply marvelous"

"Thanks, but Pansy is the one who did all the dirty work. I just gave her the ideas to work on" Astoria said as she looked around at the people.

_Not here yet._

_May be he won't come. That'd be good._

"He won't miss it, Tori"

"What? Who?"

"Draco"

_Think of the devil and it'll appear_ she thought as she watched him enter.

"Stop imagining things, Pansy"

"I will, when you stop trying to ignore him"

"I'm not ignoring anyone. Drop it, Pansy. Let me enjoy this one party without any mishaps"

"Don't you think that's too much to ask? Remember the old phrase? 'Wherever Tori goes…..'"

"'explosions follow'. You were the one that made it up. Stupid"

"May be. But it's the truth"

"Was"

"What?"

"It was the truth. Now, I've learnt to live unseen"

"If you think that, then you're deluding yourself. You've just learnt to block out the world"

"No"

"Why else did Draco, the one you consider your………."

"Stop. Stop it, Pansy. That's enough"

"Tori, I'm just………………."

"I said stop Parkinson!" Astoria shouted as every head in the room turned towards her.

"Zabini"

"What?"

"It's Zabini not Parkinson" Pansy muttered in a small voice as she looked down.

"Oh dear! I'm sorry Pansy. I shouldn't have shouted like that" Astoria said as she hugged Pansy.

"It's alright but I want to tell you one thing. Just one thing. Will you listen? Without interruptions?"

"You can tell me anything, Pansy"

"Let's go out shall we?"

"Okay"

"What is it?" Astoria asked as she felt the cool night air on her face calm her.

"I know why you blame Draco, Tori, but, I also know his side of the story. I never told you this because it'd have been of no use to you then, in the early days after your…….."

"Say it, Pansy. Saying it out loud helps a lot"

"After your family's demise"

"Murder you mean"

"Tori!"

"No, Pansy. Tell me the facts as they are. Spare me the sugar coating"

"You were still devastated………broken, and………"

"You wanted to give me someone to blame"

"Something like that, yes. You seemed so intent on hating the Malfoys that it helped you to cope better. I could see that"

"And so you let me be"

"Yes. Then Draco went for work at Mungo's and you left for the muggle world and so I thought to let the matter rest. You have to understand this, Tori, I never thought you'd meet the way you did or that Draco would take an intense liking to you"

"He _likes_ me?"

"Yeah"

"I don't blame you for any of this, but, where are you going with all this?"

"All I'm asking you is that you hear him out. Give him a chance to explain himself"

"Even then, Pansy, I don't think I could ever come to _like_ him. You remember sixth year, don't you"

"Nobody regrets it more than me or Draco, but we were kids back then. We weren't mature enough to question our beliefs"

"You changed, didn't you?"

"So has Draco, Tori. You only need to give him a chance"

"I'm not promising you anything, Pansy. I'll have to think. Certain things can never be erased but I'll try. If there is an innocent enough explanation for all of this, I can think of forgiving him. May be"

"Thanks, Tori. That's all I wanted from you"

"Let's go. Almost all of them have arrived. Time to spoil the birthday girl" Astoria said as she led Pansy away from the balcony.

Unnoticed by either of them, a shadow moved out of the screen behind the door to the balcony.

_Who was she and what had I done to her in the past _Draco wondered as he re-entered the room. Mae was standing near the table where the cake was kept and was staring at it.

As soon as the cake was cut and Mae was showered with presents(Literally), Draco went in search of the mystery woman who claimed that he had _murdered _her family. There were some things he had to clear up with her.

_I may be bad-tempered, irritating at times but I'm no murderer_ he thought as he found her talking animatedly to Mae. He couldn't help admiring her, even if she was standing at the other end of the hall.

_Beautiful._

Even as he was thinking that, a shooting star fell from above and rained silver sparkles on Mae. Astoria, who was standing near Mae was also sprinkled with them.

The sight of Astoria, covered in sparkles, laughing with Mae tugged at Draco's heart and made him leave them. _This was no time for confrontations_ he thought as he headed towards Nott who was standing by a woman.

_Wasn't she Tori's friend from 's_ ?

"Hey, Draco! This is Mercy. She's………"

"She works at 's in the muggle medication section. I know"

"You two know each other?"

"We have worked together before" Draco replied shortly and turned to Mercy.

"I see that your friend has come to the party too"

"Actually, she was the one who invited me" Mercy replied.

"Oh! Do you know her, Theo?"

"Yes, I do, Draco" relied Nott and then lowered his voice so that Mercy couldn't hear and said, "you're losing your touch with interrogating people, Draco. That wasn't diplomatic at all"

"I wasn't trying to be diplomatic. I just want to know who she is"

"If it's her name you want, it is…"

"Hey there, Theo! I have been looking all over for you" Pansy exclaimed as she came strolling towards the group with Astoria lingering reluctantly near her.

"I was just talking with Mercy. Where's Mae?"

"Bursting balloons with Millicent. Blaise wanted to talk to you about the merpeople"

"Merpeople?" Mercy exclaimed.

"Yeah! They live in our pond. You wanna go see them?" Theo asked as he dragged Mercy towards the back door.

"I'd love to" Mercy replied as both of them disappeared through the door.

"Looks like I don't have to set him up anymore" Pansy sighed.

"You enjoy matchmaking too much, Pansy" Astoria replied with a grin.

"It isn't healthy, you know?" Draco added.

"I guess. I have to go see the dinner arrangements. Bye" she said as she purposefully left the two alone.

"Pansy was never one for subtlety" Draco remarked as he watched Astoria turn to look at him.

"Yeah, I know"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Depends"

_What does he want?_

"What's your name?"

"WHAT?"

"Uh………."

A/n : I don't think there's anything for me to say here so I'll just stop trying to put in an author's note here. There, all done.

As always, review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	8. Revealed Truths and Past Histories

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 8 : Revealed identities and past histories

"What's your name?"

"WHAT?"

"Uh………."

"You mean to tell me you don't know my name!!!!!"

"Well………I know the others call you Tori but I couldn't catch your full name. I know it seems a bit unbelievable but the….."

"Astoria"

"Astoria…?"

"Astoria Greengrass"

"Greengrass? Are you related to Daphne?" Draco asked warily.

_Yes, you idiot. I'm the one whom you never saw, never acknowledged and never betrayed._

"By a long shot, yes"

"Oh! She was a nice person. It was most unfortunate that she died in the war"

_It was most unfortunate that you had to murder her, you mean._

"She _was_ a real nice person. Not that you'd know"

"What?"

"I know your history, Malfoy. You can fool the world, but not me. If you know what's good for you, you'd keep away from me or, better yet, forget me. Now if you will let me pass by"

But Draco had no intention of doing that. As Astoria tried to pass by, he grabbed her hand making her stop and turn around to face him.

"What do you want?"

"Why are you so infuriated with me? Why do you ignore me? What in hell did I do to warrant such treatment from you?"

"YOU MURDERED MY FAMILY, THAT'S WHAT" Astoria shouted before she ran out of the room with several eyes following her.

As Draco stood dumbfounded by this accusation, Pansy went after Astoria knowing where she would go.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Tori! I know you are here. Please come out" Pansy shouted as she pounded on the door, two days later. When Pansy had found Astoria in the attic two days earlier, she had simply refused to come out of the room and hadn't eaten or slept. Now, two days later, the situation wasn't any better. If any thing, it had gotten worse, and Astoria had locked herself in. Pansy had tried everything to open the door from picking the lock to destroying it. Nothing had worked. Even Blaise hadn't been able to open the door.

"Has she come out?"

"No, Draco. She keeps crying. If this goes on, it won't be long before she dehydrates herself"

Another thing that had happened in the past two days was that Draco had taken to visiting Astoria's house frequently to see if there had been any change.

"There is one last chance, Pansy"

"What?"

"There is this blocking spell. But it was known only to certain Pureblood families and even in them, only to direct descendents. She told me she was distantly related to Daphne, so I think it might work"

"Distantly related, my foot"

"What?"

"She's Daphne's younger sister, you dolt! I can't believe this! You don't even remember her!"

"Daphne's……….But there was only one Greengrass daughter"

"There were two"

"I'd have remembered seeing her in Slytherin!"

"That's the thing, Draco. Unlike the other Greengrasses, she was a Ravenclaw"

"Oh!"

"Now, let's try this spell you spoke of"

"There is no counter curse for this , but the blood of a pureblood"

"Ew! Such things should be banned, you know"

"Move" Draco said as he went to the front of the door. He brought out a needle and pricked a hole in his left thumb and pressed it to the door. As the door absorbed his blood, it began to disappear until it finally vanished.

"Tori!" Pansy cried as she rushed into the room and hugged Astoria who was still lying on the floor "Don't ever scare me like that again!"

"How did you come in, Pansy? You don't know the spell" Astoria asked in a voice which was feeble and hoarse from crying.

"Dra….I found a way out. Now I'm taking you to your room so that you can rest, okay?"

"Oka……" Astoria mumbled even as she fainted in Pansy's arms.

"Let me carry her" Draco said as he entered the room.

"Okay"

As Draco was about to leave the room with Astoria in his arms, he looked back and saw a portrait hanging on the wall. The Portrait that Astoria had been lying before.

_What had I done to these people that has made Astoria hate me so?_

As he entered Astoria's room, Draco was struck with the air of suspension that surrounded it. The room was throbbing with emotions, yet, it was plain as an unoccupied house.

The furniture in the room was sparse and consisted of a small bed, a dresser and a tiny wardrobe where he supposed she kept her clothes. The rest of the room and the walls where empty but there were traces of photographs being hung there.

_Must have been her family's. She must have removed them after their passing away._

As Draco laid her gently on the bed, Pansy bustled in carrying a steaming bow of soup.

"Leave before she wakes, Draco"

"I want to know the truth. What did I do? I don't recollect any thing. The last I remember of the Greengrasses was when I was…………."

"Was?"

"Was when they were brought to the Ministry for trial and when I told the Ministry that they had no part in Voldemort's schemes"

"The Ministry didn't believe you"

"I know that. They only wanted me there for identifying Death Eaters, not for proving people innocent"

"The Greengrasses were given a death sentence"

"What does it have to do with me? I couldn't have done any thing even if I had wanted to!"

"She thinks you could have stopped their deaths and so she thinks you murdered them"

"Why would I do that?"

"Revenge for not joining Voldemort. Also, you know that your father…"

"_Don't_ call him that"

"Lucius and Henry Greengrass had their difference of opinions and where known for their enmity"

"Yes, I know that"

"Once, your father had vowed that he'd destroy the Greengrass clan. She thinks you are fulfilling what Lucius couldn't do"

"Lucius is full of empty threats. He never had the guts to follow through"

"She blames you, though"

"Let me get this straight. She thinks I'm out for her now, is that it?"

"Yes. Draco, listen. I know it seems illogical but it was the only way for her to come out of the depression. You have to understand………"

"I'm leaving, Pansy. This has been too much for me to take in. I need space. If she is unwell after she wakes up, floo me, okay? And if she has the strength to listen, explain to her that………….."

"It's your place to do that, Draco"

"Then just tell her this. Draconis Lucius Malfoy never was, isn't and never will be a murderer"

As Draco left the house, Pansy looked back at the sleeping Astoria and thought _I hope you guys work this out. Both of you need some one, better yet, each other._

A/n: Hey guys!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hop you like the way I portrayed things. I know some things haven't been cleared up yet but I assure you all will be revealed in good time.

As always, review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	9. Bedtime stories and unfulfilled visions

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 9: Bed time stories and unfulfilled visions

It had been two weeks since that day and Pansy was becoming restless. There had been no word from either of her friends and she was starting to get anxious. Seeing Blaise calm and unbothered irritated her.

"Can't you at least _try_ to be concerned?" Pansy snapped as she ate her breakfast.

"About what?"

"The break in at Gringotts" Pansy said sarcastically.

Blaise let out a sigh and placed the Ancient Runes book he had been reading on the table.

"It's no use worrying over things, Pansy. You wanted to do a bit of matchmaking. You had your fun. Let them work it out themselves. If they were meant to be………….."

"Don't give me that crap, Blaise. I don't care if they were meant to be or not. They are good for each other"

"How do you know? You were dead against it when Draco came by the other day"

"I _was_ averse to the idea before, I'll admit, but, seeing them together has convinced me"

"Which part convinced you? The shouting or the break down?"

"Both. I've never seen so many emotions on her face for three whole years, Blaise! She was _almost_ human that day. She never reacts to any thing else now-a-days. If he makes her so angry, may be she might come out of it"

"She isn't strong enough to take much more emotional stress, Pansy"

"I know that. But there has to be _something_ I can do"

"Yes. There is. Let them be" Blaise said agitatedly.

"We'll see. Why are you so jumpy?"

"Do you know when Theo will be visiting again?"

"A week or two later. Why?"

"I need to speak to him about the merpeople"

"What about them?"

"I need to know if they have seer abilities"

"What did they tell you?"

"Not me. But it wasn't any thing good, from what I could gather. Not good tidings at all"

"What is it?"

"They have predicted an attack"

"What? Where? When? Who would want to do that?"

"If what they say is right, which I'm sure it is, there is going to be a mass breakout from one of the prisons. Their aim will be to fulfill their master's destiny"

"What is that?"

"To rid the world of Muggleborns"

"Oh god! Not again. We've had enough trouble with Dark wizards"

"Darkness can never be eradicated completely. We can only strive to keep it at bay"

"Quit spouting philosophy, Blaise. What do you think they'd do if they breakout?"

"What, in the wizarding world, is a symbol of muggle-wizard unity?"

Pansy gasped as she realized the answer.

"They won't……..not……….Merlin! Why didn't you tell me this earlier, Blaise? We have to contact Draco immediately!"

"I have already done that. He's coming here as we speak. I wanted you to know the facts before he came"

"We should probably inform Astoria too"

"We'll see about that later. I don't think they should meet so soon. At least not after Astoria ignored Draco that way"

Pansy had no answer to that.

Two weeks prior, when Astoria had woken up from her faint, Pansy had found that she was running a temperature and was too weak to even move out of bed. Pansy had immediately contacted Draco who had flooed over immediately. It was as Draco had feared. Astoria was near the brink of a wizarding coma (a state where the wizard/witch is drained of all their magical power and the body is forced to take up their life force for sustenance. It is a fatal disease and is one of the hardest to treat since there is no concrete way to bring back one's magical powers)

Astoria had refused to even let him in her room much less treat her. There weren't many Healers in Britain who could treat the ailment. Draco had refused the idea of stunning her, saying that it would have only quickened the impending tragedy.

It had taken many arguments where Astoria simply shook her head as she was too weak to do any thing else, many threats and many more pleas from Pansy before she had grudgingly let Draco treat her. Pansy had told Blaise that Astoia's desire to stop seeing Draco had been the catalyst in her rather quick recovery. As soon as she had recovered enough, Asoria had simply turned her back on Draco without even a thank you. That had been the last she had seen of either Draco or Astoira. Both of them, being skilled in spell casting, had blocked any form of communication from Pansy which had hurt her beyond mention.

Though Pansy had tried to be angry at both of them, in the end, her compassion for them had won out and now, she merely wished for them to be happy.

"How did you contact Draco?"

"I just mentioned that it had to do with his father"

"Lucius?"

"If fulfilling Voldemort's vision is what they are out for, don't you think Lucius will be at the heart of it?"

"Yes I guess. So, what are you going to do about this?"

As Pansy was asking questions, they heard the sound of a set of feet. The door opened to reveal Theodore Nott standing in the doorway.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Why do you and Draco always do this?"

"Do what?"

"Look sheepish as soon as you see us in the same room?"

"Well………."

"I was just asking for you, Theo. What do you know about the merpeople in your pond?" Blaise tactfully avoided dangerous waters.

"They have been there for centuries. There is a great legend about them that dates back thousands of years"

"Why isn't there any mention of it in the books?"

"It's been passed on from generation to generation. It's all hearsay, like, the bed time stories one hears in his childhood and happens to remember"

"What does it say?"

"You know the tale of the Peverell brothers?"

"Yes"

"It's similar to that. Once there was a great seer who could see far beyond centuries. What he foresaw is still unsure but, he saw it fit to put all his visions into a globe and was trying to keep it some where safe. Then, the merpeople offered to safeguard it in exchange for a bit of his powers"

"And?"

"The seer gave all his powers to them and went away, never to be seen again. Ever since, the merpeople have been guarding the globe as a family heirloom. A few centuries after that, a war broke out between the two tribes that existed in their clan. They broke apart and one tribe was separated from their original habitat, the Black Lake at Hogwarts. At that point of time, the lake near our house extended up to Hogsmeade. And so, the merpeople shifted there and have become our guardians. Our ancestors were able to speak their language but it died out fast. The last person I knew who could speak their language was Dumbledore"

"I may have a surprise for you there"

"What?"

"Your daughter"

"Mae?"

"Yes. She can speak their tongue as fluently as she speaks ours"

"She never spoke their tongue when we went there!"

"She doesn't do that when people are nearby. I suspected this earlier and the last time we called on you, I hid behind the trees and watched her. She is a natural in dealing with merpeople"

"Wow! So, what do merpeople have to do with any thing?"

"Do they have seer powers?"

"Some of them do. Yes. Why?"

That was when they heard loud voices from the hallway. One voice was deep and masculine while the other was unmistakably higher and more melodious. Though what either of the voices was saying wouldn't have found a place even in the worst of melodies. Or, in simpler words, both the voices were shouting at each other.

"Draco! Astoria! Stop it this instant"

A/n: I know. I know. Too many twists and turns but please hang in with me. I assure you all will be revealed soon. Please feel free to leave your suggestions.

As always, review!!!!!!!!!!

_Sneak peek:_

"_I finally decide to visit you and this is what I have to face?" Astoria cried as she faced Pansy._

"_Is this why you called me, Blaise?" accused Draco._

"_I assure both of you that it wasn't our idea to put both of you in each others company. Since you are here I'd like to ask both of you to listen to what I have to say"_

"_I'm leaving" Both of them said at the same time and glared at each other._

"_This is important. I need both of you here for this. It's about the safety of the wizarding world._

_That got their attention._

So, what do you think?


	10. Plans for protection

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 10: Plans for protection

"I finally decide to visit you and this is what I have to face?" Astoria cried as she faced Pansy.

"Is this why you called me, Blaise?" accused Draco.

"I assure both of you that it wasn't our idea to put both of you in each others company. Since you are here I'd like to ask both of you to listen to what I have to say"

"I'm leaving" Both of them said at the same time and glared at each other.

"This is important. I need both of you here for this. It's about the safety of the wizarding world"

That got their attention.

"What about the wizarding world?"

"Let's sit down"

As they sat down, both Draco and Astoria tried to sit as far away from each other, resulting in both of them sitting next to each other.

"Go away, Malfoy"

"Why don't you follow your own advice, Greengrass?"

"Uh!"

"Alright. Now, what does 's mean to you?"

"Acceptance"

"Escape"

The two stared straight at Blaise deciding to ignore the fact that the other's answer applied to them too.

"What will you do if I tell you that it's gonna be threatened?"

"Who'd do that?" Astoria asked while giving Draco a questioning glance.

"This might not please you, Greengrass, but, I'm not the villain any more. You can't blame me for every thing any longer"

"I never said any thing about you, Malfoy. Guilty Conscience?"

"Ha! As if I don't know what you are thinking!"

"What _am_ I thinking, Malfoy?"

"You're thinking that I'm some sort of Double Agent for the Dark side"

"Can you blame me?"

"Ever heard of the word 'redemption', Greengrass?"

"Never in association with the name 'Malfoy'"

"There is the difference. I'm Draco, not Malfoy"

"Stop playing word games with me, Malfoy. I don't trust you. End of story"

"If you're quite done with you verbal combat, I'd like to tell you the reason I called you here" Blaise said admonishingly.

"Sorry, Blaise. Do continue"

"As I was saying,……….." And Blaise proceeded to explain whatever he had explained to Pansy earlier in the day.

"So? You mean to say that there is going to be an attack on 's?"

"Not on Mungo's. On the Muggle section particularly"

"What can we do about it? Do you have any idea who is going to attack?"

"I think there will be a break out from the prison in………a few days, if my calculations are correct"

"Which prison?"

"The mettre en prison"

"What? You're kidding me!"

"That's one of the safest wizard prisons of the world!"

"And that's where the prisoners of war are kept and so it makes sense" Draco said as his face took on a thoughtful expression.

"I'm sorry, Draco"

"It's alright, Blaise. I hadn't expected it to last this long at all. It was more than I could have hoped for"

"What do you suggest we do?"

"How many?"

"Two dozen at the least"

"How many Healers are there in the Muggle section, Greengrass?"

"About fifty trainees and twenty qualified Healers"

"The odds are definitely not in our favor"

"What? We are seventy and they are not even half of us!"

"They are trained Death Eaters. And we are not taking into account some thing else"

"I thought so too" Blaise conceded.

"If the prisoners are to break out, they must have outside help. Right, Malfoy?" Astoria asked.

"What do you think, Draco?"

"When was the last time there was a break out from Azkaban, Blaise?"

"Five years ago when…………"

"When Voldemort had returned, yes"

"You mean to say he's back, again!"

"No. Voldemort is rotting in his grave. There is no chance for his resurrection"

"Do I detect a hint of sadness here?"

"Astoria!"

"Okay! Okay! Cool down, Pansy. What _is_ your point then, Malfoy?"

"Some thing new"

"Some thing new? You mean, like, another Dark Lord?"

"May be. I'm not sure but if there is going to be a breakout from the mettre en prison; it must be in response to some happening outside"

"Do you think we can fight back?"

"We will fight back, but not until we know clearly what we are up against"

"What do you suggest, Malfoy? That we welcome them with open arms? Should I decorate the Muggle section?"

"No. We wait until we gain more knowledge"

"May be that's their weapon this time"

"What is?"

"Knowledge"

"Spoken like a true Ravenclaw" Draco commented before continuing, "But may be you are right. In that case, we need to draw them out"

"Aren't we looking too far into it? What will the Ministry say?"

"You can take the job of informing them, Blaise. They'd never believe me any way"

"Okay! But they'll surely want to interfere"

"Go to the Order, then. They're subtler in their operation. Having Aurors patrol the hospital day and night would only make things more complicated"

"Okay! What do you suggest?"

"We request the Order to appoint a watch on the hospital. If there is an attack, a group of them should come to our aid"

"I can ask them that"

"What else do you think we should do?"

"There's nothing we can do for now except hope that what we fear never happens"

"You mean we let all those innocent patients roam about unawares?"

"Don't you think removing them all now would seem suspicious?"

"So you let them be in danger?"

"I'm a Healer, Greengrass. A Deputy Head, if you had forgotten. My first priority is……"

"The safety of the patients under my care, I know. I went through Healer training too. What do you suggest we do, then?"

"The blocking spell you used the other day"

"Which one?"

"The one that you had used the day that you had fainted"

"How did you know about it? I thought Pansy had broken it?"

"And you believed that?"

"Pansy!"

"I'm sorry, Tori. I _had_ to get to you. You have to understand…….."

"We need to talk"

Seeing Pansy's troubled eyes, Astoria added, "Later"

Pansy let out a sigh of relief.

"Now. About that spell. I've been doing some research on that spell ever since that day"

"There's nothing new about you messing with the Dark arts"

"FYI, it was _you_ who used that spell. As it happens, that particular spell is quite flexible"

"Meaning?"

"The spell can be modified to suit personalized needs"

"What do you want to do with the spell?"

"Alter it so that only one person's blood can open it"

"And that person would be?"

"You"

"What? Why me?"

_Because then, we will have to keep you safe and so, you can't battle them._

"You are the only one here that's in the Muggle section"

"We can always ask Mercy"

"No. We can't have too many people in on this"

"UH! You have a reason for every thing!"

"Now that we have settled the matter….."

"You have settled it, you mean" Astoria mumbled under her breath so that only Draco could hear.

"You have a better idea, Greengrass?" Draco asked with a smirk.

Knowing she was fighting a losing battle, Astoria remained silent.

"Any thing else?"

Seeing as no one had any more to say, Draco continued, "Pansy, can we talk for a bit?"

"Sure, Draco. What is it?"

"Later"

"Okay!"

_If he doesn't want the others to know, why is he asking in front of them?_

Looking at Astoria's curious face was answer enough for Pansy.

_It must be about her._

A/n: Hi every one! Sorry I took soooooo long to update. I promise the updates will be faster.

As always, review!!!!!

_Sneak Peak:_

"_What do you mean, Draco?"_

"_I mean to say that Astoria should not be there on the day of the attack"_

"_She will never agree to this"_

"_I know. That's why I made her the one who could break the spell"_

"_What is that going to do?"_

"_Since her blood is the key to breaking the spell, she'll have to be safe and so, "_

"_She can't take part in the battle. That's brilliant, Draco!"_

"_You have to make sure she doesn't find a way around it"_

"_That's what you wanted?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_But, why?"_

"_She needs to be safe"_

"_Why her?"_

"_Because………"_


	11. Tracing back times

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

**Chapter 11: Tracing back times**

A few days later, Draco came by to visit Blaise.

"Hey there, Blaise. Am I interrupting you?"

"No. I was just closing this one. I'm too frustrated to continue"

"What happened?"

"I'm not able to translate this particular rune. I've never seen this one before. It must be a very rare one and hence it would either mean some thing very good or some thing very destructive"

"So?"

"From what I've translated of the rest of the script, it isn't good news. It might be a script of one of the prophecies"

"The one guarded by the mer-people?"

"The one made by that long lost seer, yes, but, this isn't held by mer-people. Seems like our seer went to China after his disappearance and he has made some more prophecies in their hieroglyphics. Those people believe that he is still alive some where"

"That's rubbish! How can some one live for……..How long ago was this?"

"A few millenniums before the time of The Hogwarts Founders'"

"What! That's incredible! That must be…."

"At least five thousand years back, yes. What doesn't add up is that this particular clay tablet was hand-written by him and no matter how many times I try dating it, it only dates back a few centuries"

"Are you sure this was written by him?"

"Yeah. The signs are there. Also, no other English seer has ever written prophecies in Chinese hieroglyphics"

"What does it say?"

"It is in the form of a warning. Here's what it says:

_Beware of the………… arising_

_Tarry not that the minions have been vanquished, Children of the four,_

_For, when the puppet has fallen and it's peers are caged, the ……….will sleep, until it will be awakened by the dawn of its own death_

_Fear not its lethal claws, for fear is its food_

_Hate not its presence, for hate is its blood_

_In the realms of the universe lie creatures that are its slaves_

_The wizarding world will face battles_

_Until the one that's the key arises….._

_The ……….will sleep, until it will be awakened by the dawn of its own death……………_

"What does this mean?"

"I could tell you positively if I could fill the blank that I haven't been able to translate. The minion must be either Grindelwald or Voldemort or both of them"

"Children of the four?"

"Means the four houses of Hogwarts. That's one of the sure signs that this prophecy was made by that seer. He always had multiple visions and his prophecies predicted more than one event. This one says about the Final Battle a few years back and also this one about some thing else"

"See here, if the previous line is about puppets and peers the next one should be about the leader, right? That's a sure oxymoron"

"That is just another controversy, Draco. That symbol there is not indicative of a name. Not even some thing like, the Dark Lord, or some thing. The closest I have come to translating it is that the word means either destruction, death or an apocalypse"

"What's this about the dawn of death?"

"He also saw a savior. He talks about it in this other clay tablet that I haven't been able to find. It's in the chest that is guarded by the mer-people"

"But you told me that this one was made just a few centuries back. The time line doesn't add up!"

"I know. There are just two people who can explain this"

"Who are they?"

"One is the seer himself. If what the Chinese believe is true, and I personally think it could be"

"But, there's no chance for it"

"We don't know that yet. Look at Dumbledore. How old _was_ he? And from the looks of it, this seer was far more powerful than him. There is every possibility that he's still alive"

"Even so, if he doesn't want to be seen, how can we find him? Tell me about the other choice"

"The Head of the mer-clan. I think he might have an idea about it. There have been many poems of that seer in their works. The may be able to help us, but………"

"But we can't talk with them"

"If only we could convince Mae……….."

"It's worth a shot, I think. At least the chances of success are better than finding a wizened old man who is thousands of years old"

"Yeah, I think so too. But some thing tells me that we will find that seer"

"Is there no one else who could transcribe this rune?"

"One other person could have done it"

"Who is it?"

"Daphne Greengrass"

"Oh! Speaking of Greengrasses, where's Pansy? I came here to see her, actually"

"She's upstairs trying to work on her newest product. She must be almost done by now"

"Alright. I'll go see her. Thanks for the History lesson, Blaise. You're far more dynamic than Binns ever was. Ever thought of teaching?"

"Not in the near future, but, thanks for the compliment"

As Draco entered the office of Pansy, he was greeted with the sweet fragrance of………..

_What is this smell?_

"Stop sniffing, Draco. It's my newest invention. Don't inhale too much of it. Could make you light headed. It contains a bit of Felix Felicis. So, what did you want?"

"Why should I always want some thing? Can't I visit my friends without being interrogated" Draco exclaimed.

"I heard you telling Blaise that you had come to see me. Spill"

"It's about Astoria. I'm thinking of suggesting to her that she takes leave of her station at Mungo's for some time"

"What do you mean, Draco?"

"I mean to say that Astoria should not be there on the day of the attack"

"She will never agree to this"

"I know. That's why I made her the one who could break the spell"

"What is that going to do?"

"Since her blood is the key to breaking the spell, she'll have to be safe and so, "

"She can't take part in the battle. That's brilliant, Draco!"

"You have to make sure she doesn't find a way around it"

"That's what you wanted?"

"Yeah!"

"But, why?"

"She needs to be safe"

"Why her?"

"Because………"

"Because?"

"Because if she's hurt, the lives of Muggles will be at the escapees' mercy"

"Then may be I could do it. After all, I know about this whole fiasco and I'll be far away from the hospital when the attack happens. You are the one that's gonna perform the spell and so I won't be needed"

"No. It has to be her"

"Why?"

"Because I can't be peaceful otherwise, dammit! I need to know that she'll be safe"

"Why does it bother you so?"

"You already know this, Pansy. I like her. She needs to be safe. That's all I've been conclude out of my jumble of thoughts. And before you begin, there's no way you can persuade me otherwise"

"May be you don't need to be persuaded"

"I know she hates me but this is………..What?"

"May be I shouldn't interfere in this. May be I should let you guys work this out. May be………."

"Come on, Pansy! Now you are sounding regretful"

"Never mind what I feel. I'll make sure she's alright. Is that good enough for you?"

"Yeah. Sure. Thanks"

"Are you scared, Draco?"

"No. Just impatient"

"You never did have the most tolerant of dispositions"

"I wasn't independent then, was I?"

"No. You were not. But now you are. And what are you gonna do about it?"

"I like being independent very much, thank you. I have no idea of relinquishing it to Lucius"

"You won't let him control your life again" Pansy stated.

"Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" Draco muttered as he turned towards the door.

"Pansy!!!"

Draco turned back to see the perplexed yet euphoric face of Astoria in the fire.

"What is it, Tori?"

"She's back. Daphne. She's come back!"

"What? That's….."

"I know. Could you come over? She asked for you. And you too, Malfoy" she added the last part with revulsion.

"Let's go" Draco said as he watched Astoria's face disappear from the fire place.

"I'll be right there, Draco. You go on. I'll get Blaise and Theo too, if he's available"

A/n: There, a chapter is done. Tell you the truth, this was the easiest chapter to type, some how. The next chapter will be full of revelations so don't miss the 12th chapter : The story of the dead fiancée.

As always, review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	12. The tale of the Dead Fiancee

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 12: The Tale of the Dead Fiancée

When Pansy flooed to the Greengrass Manor with Blaise, she noticed at once that the drawing room was cluttered and untidy which was totally unlike Astoria that it made her suspicious. However, that disappeared when she heard a distinctly feminine voice from the room opposite.

"It's Daphne alright," Blaise said as they crossed to the door that separated them from the other three.

"Hey there, Pansy. And Blaise! Haven't seen you lot in a while" Daphne exclaimed as she came towards them, only to be slapped by Pansy.

"Don't you _dare_ speak as if you've gone on vacation or some thing. You scare the wits out of me, disappear for three _bloody_ years and then you're so calm and……..and………." By this time both Astoria and Pansy had started sniffling as Pansy hugged Daphne fiercely.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight again. Ever. Even if have to lock you up in a room and tie you to the chair"

As Draco, who had been standing at the back of the room came forward to step between the two, Blaise laid a hand on his shoulder to restrain him.

When he turned to look at him, Blaise shook his head in a clear don't.

When Draco looked at him questioningly, he said in an undertone, "Let her cry it all out. She's been mourning for her dead friend for nearly three years only to realize that she wasn't dead at all in the first place. Leave her be"

After a few minutes, Pansy withdrew from the hug to take a look at her long lost friend. Her lustrous beach blond hair, which had once floated down to her waist in perfect curls, was now cut short in a conservative bob. Her blue green eyes, which used to remind Pansy so much of the turbulent ocean with the sheer number of emotions in them, was now soulless and inexpressive. While the Daphne she remembered was glowing and poised, the new Daphne appeared weary, frail and fatigued.

"You need to be groomed before any thing else. When did she get here, Astoria?"

"About ten minutes before I flooed you. There was a knock on the door as I was leaving and when I opened the door………."

Astoria gulped down the threatening tears before continuing.

"Daphne was there. She was leaning on the doorframe all scratched up and wounded and I couldn't believe my eyes for a moment. Then she fainted and…… I was stupid. I still didn't believe it all so, I tried to blink my eyes and she was still there. You had always told me that you'd take care of me, hadn't you, Daphne?" Astoria asked childishly turning to Astoria with tear brimmed eyes that were shining, with happiness or sorrow, Draco couldn't quite decide. This was completely alien to him. The Astoria who was before him, seemed eons different from the one who had clashed with him the other day, at the Zabini's.

"Yes, Tori. I did. And I intend to keep it"

"What happened then?" asked an impatient Draco.

"Are you hurt, Daph? You should be taken to the hospital first. No, that'd be dangerous. We'll take a look at you"

"I already saw to that, Malfoy. Why did you want _him_ here, Daph? I treated all your wounds. You don't need any more medical attention"

"I wanted him to be here because what I'm gonna say concerns all of us. It has to do with the safety of the entire wizarding world. Where's Theo, by the way?"

Just as she mentioned his name, a white form appeared in the room and took the shape of a weasel and said in Nott's low voice, "Be there in a couple of minutes. Held up by Mae"

"Let's wait" Daphne said and sat down on the kitchen chair and added to a still standing Draco, "Can you send a patronus to Theo asking him to bring Mae along?"

Draco nodded and, after sending the patronus, was unsatisfied with Astoria's proclamations, and came near Daphne and began muttering spells under his breath.

"No internal damage, no memory loss, no physical damage"

"No blood loss, no permanent spell damage and her vitals are stable. I checked for the six signs, Malfoy. I'm not dense"

"Okay! Okay!" Draco said as he began muttering more complex spells that Astoria hadn't heard of.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking for the use of Unforgivables. Not recently, but, a while back. Who used it?"

"Three years ago. Flint used it on me" Daphne replied calmly.

"Flint!"

"Yes, he was the one who used it on me"

"But why would he do that?"

"That's all part of the story, Draco. Be patient. Let Theo get here and I'll tell you every thing"

But just as they heard the sound of apparition from the other room, there was a floo call from the fire place and Mercy's head popped up.

"'s is being attacked! Tori Where are you! Oh, you're here, Draco. Can you round up your friends and get here? We could use the help of a few extra people"

"Sure, Mercy" Draco replied and the group got ready to apparate.

"Not you, Daph. You'll still too weak to risk battle. You stay here with Mae. You'll stay with aunt Daphne, won't you Mae?"

"Sure, Uncle Draco!" Mae replied smiling up at him. She then went near Daphne and introduced herself.

Astoria was watching the exchange between her sister and the child with amusement when she heard Draco call her name.

"You'll stay here won't you, Greengrass?"

"No way. I'm coming there"

"It'll be highly dangerous if they get a hold of you. You've to be safe"

"I'll hide. You'll need some one to see to the injured any way"

"Okay! But you have to stay where I tell you to"

"You have no right to…"

"It's either that or you remain"

"Alright!" Astoria accepted with a grumble.

"Let's go"

Daphne watched, as one by one, the five of them apparated. Since the Healers were granted direct access to the hospital, Draco took Blaise and Theo in side long apparition while Astoria took Pansy.

_Let's hope they don't meet __**it **__today._

"Aunt Daphne!"

She looked around to find Mae in the cupboard near the floor, trying to drag out a jar of cookies without toppling it over.

"Can you help me?"

"Sure" Daphne replied as she stood up to help the child in lifting the jar.

_If the prophecizer was correct, this girl will be…….No. It's still too soon to say. I'll just have to wait until the others get back and then discuss it with them._

"Are you Aunt Tori's sister?"

"Yes, Mae. How did you know?"

"You have the same hair"

Daphne laughed at the innocence of the child and left her in the kitchen to look around the house.

_Her house. The house which she hadn't visited for nearly three or was it four? She'd lost count of time._

_I'll have to get used to all of it now. The normal way of living. Especially if she was planning to stay here for long. _

When she had decided to come back from Peru, it hadn't been an unconscious decision. She had been forced to leave for her home country by the one she considered her mentor and guide.

"You have to go there, Daphne. Your presence is essential there. It's all a part of the jigsaw. Go back, child. And you'll have a new, better life waiting for you there" he had said.

She had been hesitant at first. She had been afraid, if she was to be truthful to herself. But he had assured her that her return wouldn't harm the others in any way.

She had trusted him. If there was one person she trusted with her life, it was her mentor.

And so, she had arrived at the place where it had all begun.

_No better place to start afresh than where you began._

As she moved around the house, one thing struck her more than any thing else.

_Nothing's changed since that day. It's as if I've stepped three years back in time. Not even the portrait…where's the family portrait?_

She opened the door to her room to find that it too was as she had left it, cluttered with bridal magazines and dresses.

Her eyes were gleaming with tears as she lifted one of the dresses from their place on the bed. It had been the one she had chosen as her wedding gown. A tear splashed on the gown as she placed it back on the bed.

She hadn't loved him, not by a long shot as she understood now, but still, his loss pained her.

Moving around the house, she finally came to Astoria's room. Curious to see how it had changed, she entered it.

_Where did all the photos go?_ She wondered as she saw the plain walls of the room which were a pale blue.

_Now, where could all the pictures have gone? The only room I haven't searched is the attic. Could it be…_

_Aha! There it is_ she thought triumphantly, as she found the family portrait hanging on the end wall of the attic.

Looking at the portrait, contrary to what she had thought, brought back memories of her past, and made her gloomy.

"Aunt Daphne?"

"Coming Mae!" she hurried from the room.

_Meanwhile, at 's…….._

A/n: I know I should have written about the battle here, but, I felt that it'd be like a footnote to the chapter which I didn't want it to be 'cause this battle is a turning point in the story.

Any queries, suggestions? Tell me through a review!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	13. The Battle of StMungo's

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter……….

Chapter 13: The battle of 's

As soon as Astoria apparated to 's, the first thing she noticed was that it was utter chaos and people were running here and there in search of shelter from the onslaught of spells and curses.

_Just as soon, she found herself directing the patients into a safer part of the hospital. As soon as they were sure that all the patients were gathered at one place, Draco cast the spell to seal off the room, which could be opened by nothing except Astoria's blood._

As they were heading towards the scene of the battle, Draco pulled Astoria into a side room, which she found was the room where they treated emergency cases.

"What is it, Malfoy?"

"You stay here"

"What? No way!"

"You have to be safe. Otherwise, they may get a hold of you. Don't you see what that could mean to all those innocent patients?"

"I will **not** be the sitting duck!"

"I'm not asking you to be idle. Make sure you are ready. Prepare this room for treating the injured," He said as he started to leave the room.

"Make sure that no one else enters the room"

"I'm not your slave, Malfoy. I'll do as I please. If I want to battle, I will. No one, much less you, can stop me" Astoria's eyes were filled with defiance as she held her ground.

Draco, who had been near the door, came into the room and faced Astoria.

Even as he towered over her, it was his voice that was pleading and hers that was overriding.

"Astoria, please. Stay here. This once, trust me"

"Trust? You? What ever for?"

"I am your well wisher"

"Like you were my family's?" Astoria asked sarcastically.

"Astoria, please. Don't bring that up now. We will solve this later. It's not gonna help those fighting outside. They'll need medical attention and I can only trust you. You're the one I know that's capable enough and calm enough to deal with scores of patients at the same time"

Astoira was astonished that he trusted her so much while she…. didn't even so much as give him a glance.

"Okay! But I'll need some one for assistance. Could you send Pansy? Or, if you can find her, Mercy?" Astoria stated mechanically as she shifted into Healer mode alarmingly fast.

As she turned around from the equipment she had been previously setting up, she saw that Draco was still in the room, though much closer than he had been.

"Astoria, I know you don't have a very high opinion of me. I understand why you'd feel this way. After all this is over, if both of us come out of it, "

"We will" Astoria reassured even as she clasped his hands. This was no time for letting disagreements come between them.

"If we do, I promise you that I'll explain to you what happened in that trial room. I have to go now"

He extracted his hands from hers and left the room, walking backwards as Astoria continued to look at him.

Just as Draco entered the Muggle Ward, he saw that the attackers were being overpowered and that the Healers were doing an excellent job of putting up a fight.

That was, until there was a………. flash of darkness, for that was what it was. A big blast of gloom as if the shadows of all those in the room had jumbled together to form an abyss. It had no definite shape. Draco wasn't sure it even had a solid form but was wary enough not to test it.

Another thing that happened was that as soon as the dark mass had appeared, the attackers seemed to have regrouped around it and……….. Draco paused in his fight to rub his eyes.

Bits of dark matter separated themselves from the mass and sped towards the Healers. As soon as it touched them, it surrounded them and as the matter moved away, Draco could see that the person's eyes were black. The iris, the white portion every thing was the deepest shade of coal he had ever seen.

He jumped aside even as a bit missed his eyes by inches.

"Avoid contact with that," he bellowed as he shouted a charm to blast apart the approaching bits of matter. They broke into pieces, only to mesh together after a few minutes.

As suddenly as they began, the bits of matter withdrew to join the mass at the center of the battle and a wraithlike voice could be heard though Draco couldn't ascertain from where. The eerie noise seemed to reverberate off the walls as it spoke, addressing its supporters.

"Fall back"

The phrase seemed to sound like a commander's orders and the former Death Eaters withdrew and formed a neat circle around the now resonating mass.

One of them hung back and Draco was face to face with his father for the first time in three years.

"I thought I taught you better than this, son. I was sorely mistaken. You do not deserve to bear the Malfoy name" he spouted venom, though his voice was unquestionably composed.

"Neither do you, Lucius" Draco replied in a tone that rivaled Lucius' in its serenity.

Two audible pops could be heard as Daphne and Mae apparated into the room.

The change in atmosphere was sudden and heart stopping.

The black mass which seemed to have been filling the entire room……trembled, and as abruptly as it had materialized, vanished, but not before a voice of panic escaped from its pits.

One by one, the death eaters disapparated.

As Draco looked around, he saw that the persons who had been struck with the bits of darkness had fallen to the floor.

"Quick. Take the injured to the fourth room on the right side in the corridor to your left" he shouted out even as those that were left standing began gathering the fallen. Among the hurt, he found Clare, The Head of his Department Steve Lucinard, Parvati Patil and, surprisingly, Percy Weasley.

_So the order had come to our aid after all._

He looked up and straight into the eyes of Harry Potter, who had come into the room in the middle of the fight and was now leading a fainting Fleur Weasley from the room.

_Meanwhile:_

"_Uncle Draco!" Mae cried out as she was pushed this way and that amongst the crowd._

Upon hearing his name, Draco searched the crowd for the sweet voice of his goddaughter.

"Mae! I told you stay back, didn't I? Daddy's gonna be very angry. Where's Aunt Daphne?"

"She's helping Aunt Tori"

"She left you alone!" Draco wondered incredulously.

"No. She left me with Aunt Pansy. She was helping another wiz-zard"

"Who was he? Did you see him? What was he like?" Draco panicked, thinking that they had taken Daphne hostage.

"He had red hair; He was wearing purple cloak and he had only one ear" Mae recited, ticking her fingers off.

"One ear? That must be………Weasley. Okay, Mae. I'm gonna take you to Mercy. Do you remember her?"

"She came to my birthday party!" Mae giggled with delight.

_It's funny how even amidst such disaster, her laughter gave him a flash of happiness._

"Yes, her. Stay with her until one of us come to get you, okay?"

Mae nodded solemnly as Draco lifted her into his arms.

He re-entered the room in which he had left Astoria to find it filled with patients who had varying ailments from dark spells to fainting syndromes.

"Healer Malfoy!" he heard Clare's voice as she approached him.

"What is it?"

"Healer Lucinard….."

"What about him?"

"Come with me"

And she led him down the aisles of patients to a dark corner at the end of the room.

"He was already beyond help. We were too late. We couldn't do any thing……..He"

"He's dead!" Draco exclaimed. Steve Lucinard had been one of the few people he looked up to. Coming from a Death Eater family himself, he had understood Draco's trauma and it was his help that had brought Draco to where he was now.

". " Draco shook the man as he let Mae slide down.

"Take her to Healer Mercy" he instructed Clare who promptly left the place with the child.

A low moan was heard from Steve as he came to.

"Draco, listen to me. That wasn't any spell. Those things are like Dementors, only thousand times worse. They make you relive every bad memory, at the same time. They suck your magical power out of you. It's like you are under the Imperius curse and the Crucio curse at the same time. Be careful, Draco. They are targeting you. They tortured me for information on your whereabouts. I didn't let up. Be careful. Don't………."

He was cut short as Death caught up to him. Seeing the life leave his eyes, Draco was struck with the force of despair as he felt the pain of losing some one close.

Blinking back the sheen of tears that threatened to spill, he went in search of Astoria, who was in the middle of all the commotion.

Before he could reach her, the willowy frame of Harry Potter stopped him.

"You are needed"

"What is it now?"

"Our losses are not many but we have to take quick measures before another attack"

"What is your point?"

"We need to appoint a new head for your department"

"And since when did the Ministry poke its nose into 's' matters?"

"Look. There's a time for taking a swing at the ministry and it isn't now. Let's go"

"I have patients to look after, Potter. Or do they teach you to ignore the injured at the ministry?"

Draco began to treat the patient near him who conveniently happened to be Percy Weasley.

"Will he be okay?" Harry asked anxiously.

"A few days later, yes. Now, stop hovering, Potter. Tell them I'll be there in a couple of hours" Draco relented.

Satisfied, Harry left the place.

As Draco looked around, his eyes found Astoira's and stopped there. Her eyes which had previously been shining with tears cleared up, and she gave him a small insecure smile. He grinned in return in spite of the morose situation around him.

_There was hope after all._

A/n: Hey every body!!!!!! How did you like this chapter? Should I have been more sinister in the descriptions? Were they okay?

Tell me through a review!!!!!

I have bad news for you. Work is catching up with me, finally. I don't think I'll be able to update for another fortnight. Work's gonna take me away from the system and the internet altogether. But I promise I'll make it up as soon as I come back.

Till the next update!!!!!!!!


	14. The Other Prophecy

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 14: The Other Prophecy

When Draco entered the forum room of 's a few days later, he saw that the room was already crowded and that the din the gathered people were creating was becoming unbearable.

Amazingly, the noise seemed to subside as he proceeded into the room until finally, all that remained was an underlying murmur.

"Take your seat, " Kingsley Shacklebolt, who had been previously talking with Arthur Weasley, told him, indicating the remaining seat to his right, near the head of the long table.

Draco took his seat and looked around him to find that at least three-fourths of the healers from his Department were there.

"As you all already know, we lost the Head of the Magical Maladies Department, Healer Steve Lucinard, in the battle, a few days before. As per the prevailing rules of the institution, taking into account the present situation and considering the inclination of the other Healers of the Department, we, the Ministry of Magic, have decided to appoint Healer Draconis Lucius Malfoy as the succeeding head, in recognition of his munificent service to the organization. Is there any one here who has any objections?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Draco could see Harry struggle for a bit before sighing and settling down.

"Seeing as…………."

"Can I have a word, Minister?"

Every one looked on, puzzled, as Draco rose from his seat.

"I'd like to thank every one here for thinking that I'm eligible for this position, though begrudgingly in some cases" he said looking at Potter out of the corner of his eye, "but I'm sorry to say that I'm not in a position to accept the post now"

"Why not, ?"

"There is a more pressing issue at hand. That is, I'd like to research on the type of enemy we are facing now. I don't think I'll be able to do that if I am to head the Department"

"Why not?" It was Harry's voice that was heard now.

"If we want to have any sort of defense against the……..whatever it was, we need to immediately start studying it and it has to be done meticulously"

"We can always have a separate team for it"

"No. I'd like to do this myself"

"Why are you taking this so personally, Malfoy?"

"I don't think that's relevant here, "

"Since you have declined the post, do you have alternative suggestions?"

"Healer Weasley? She is as experienced as me, if not more and I'm sure she'd have no trouble heading the Department"

The gathering then went in to the process for appointment of Fleur Weasley and it was a few hours before Draco was able to escape from the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Why did you refuse the post, Draco? You deserve it after all the work you have done for it"

"I didn't want to be in any position of power, Pansy. Authority and I make a devastating combination. Remember sixth year?"

"How do you propose to go about this research then?"

"With my help" Daphne said as she looked up from the book she had been reading.

"How can you help him?"

"I know all about that thing"

"How? And before I forget, where have you been all these years?"

"Fortunately, both the questions have the same answer. This was three years ago during the war. You remember how our family, the Greengrasses refused to support you-know –who"

"Fat load of good that did" Astoria commented from her place by the mantle where she was gazing into the family portrait which Daphne had stuck there with a permanent sticking charm, against Astoria's wishes.

The picture still brought back sorrowful memories, but the intensity was not as much as before and Astoria was able to maintain her composure.

"Any way, Marcus Flint never supported him either"

"Really?"

"He had had bigger plans, as I learnt later, unfortunately, after I'd gotten engaged to him"

"What!"

"On the day of the battle, he came to the Manor and told Dad that there was another evil that was rising and that Voldemort would appear like a clown before it. As expected, Dad didn't believe him. A duel broke out between the two. Dad never came to the trials, Tori. Neither did Mum. They were dead long before the battle even began"

"No way! But……… But I saw them when I came back from school!"

"The people you saw were Flint and his accomplice. They cast a Dark mark at the top to make it appear that they, Flint and his accomplice, had been killed by our parents, who the Ministry already suspected of being Death Eaters. What they didn't predict was that Potter would triumph and that all Death Eaters would be sentenced to death. While we were carted off to Azkaban, they tried to escape and in the end, they killed each other and also the wizard accompanying us, trying"

"There would have been some news of it in the papers!"

"The Ministry didn't want to appear incapable in the public eye then. They hushed up the incident as well as my disappearance"

"You could have come back! I'd have protected you with my life!"

"What would you do? Hide me in the attic? Even so, you were unaffected from the war. I wanted you to have a life free of the remains of it. Me being here would have meant that you'd never have been able to rest peacefully for fear of discovery"

"There is no fear now?"

"Now that the prophesized evil has risen, I can give my story to the ministry with the hope that they'll believe me"

"If they don't?"

"I've been in hiding for three years. I can go back any time I want"

"You can't. We aren't letting you disappear again, Daph. We'll protect you"

"Thanks, Draco, but there are more serious things to be discussed. During my travels, I once went to Peru. There I met an old man. I didn't know what to make of him, at first. He appeared old, yes, but he spoke of ages so far back that I began to doubt that he had gone mad. I was intrigued and didn't have any thing better to do any way so I stayed with him for two whole years. One day, he suddenly went limp and in a haunting tone, he told me some thing about good and evil; light and darkness and I was sure that he had gone nuts. A few seconds later, he came to, and asked me what he had said. I vaguely recounted his words and he immediately became agitated. He told me the earlier prophesies he had made and explained that my return here was crucial"

"What does this have to do with our current situation?"

"Blaise told me you already have one of the prophecies. I was given the other half to translate a week before the battle began"

"What does the other half say?" Blaise asked with curiosity.

"It talks of the savior. It runs along the lines of………

_The Dawn of death will await the rising,_

_Without knowing, without wanting,_

_When the time is right, the seas will rise and the sky will kneel at her feet,_

_And the very sight of her will make the darkness tremble,_

_Many will be the losses, for the wizarding world is doomed to wars,_

_And the improbable will make itself known_

_No one will remember a day brighter yet darker, than the day the two meet, and the rainbow's roots are found………_

_The Dawn of death will await……….. _

"So, that rune meant darkness" Blaise mused as he ran the prophecy once again in his head.

"So, there is hope for defeating that?" Draco asked.

"Yes. There is a lot of hope, vested in the girl the prophecy speaks of"

"Girl? How do you know it's a girl?"

"The prophesizer I met was the one who made the other half of it. He told me that he keeps seeing this little girl in his visions. He is convinced that she is the answer to this"

"Where do we go looking for her?"

"I'm not sure but the girl must be around two to three years of age now"

"We can't just go around kidnapping random two year old girls. She may not even be a witch!"

"That's why the prophecy says 'when the time is right', silly" Blaise said before turning back to Daphne.

"So we wait?"

"We wait. Meanwhile, I have contacted my mentor and he has agreed to come back here"

"Here?"

"Yes. He agrees that this is a very critical situation and that his presence here may be more informational. He also gave me another prophecy to translate, Blaise"

"About this darkness?"

"No. It's not about the same thing. He just old me that both of us should translate it together. There must be some reason"

"Let's get to it, then"

Just then, there was a floo call and Mercy's head appeared in the fire.

"Theo! Mae's been asking for you. You should have been here an hour ago. She's worried"

"I'll be right there, Mercy. Guys, I gotta go. See ya later!"

And Theo left, leaving only Pansy, Draco and Astoria in the room.

"I'll be leaving then" Pansy said as she left through the door Blaise and Daphne previously had.

"Look Asto……….."

"Save it, Draco. I have enough to deal with without you rubbing it in that………"

"I'm gonna do nothing of the sort, Astoria. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for shouting at you that way. I couldn't apologize before. I had neither the right nor the eligibility to order you that way or give you ultimatums"

"It's fine. You don't have to apologize"

"Okay! I should be leaving now"

"Yeah, sure. I just wanted to ask you some thing before you left"

"Yeah?"

"This research of yours………"

"What about it?" Draco asked and the proverbial eyebrow went up.

"Would you be requiring any help with it?"

"Help? Of course but, why are you………."

"I'd like to lend a hand if you don't mind. Oh, stop smirking, Draco!"

"Alright! Alright! You are always welcome but, what of your job?"

"I could always take the night shift. Mercy has been asking me to exchange for a long time now"

"You won't be able to last more than a week with you still recovering if you work the entire day"

"I want to help defeat those that murdered my parents!"

"They are already dead, Tori. Flint and his friend are rotting in their graves"

"In the Greengrass graveyard! They aren't even entitled to set foot in there!" Astoria screamed.

Crossing the room, Draco came to stand behind Astoria who was still gazing at the portrait and refused to turn around.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he said, "Mourning and plotting revenge isn't going to bring them back, Astoria. All we can do now is try our best at obliterating this thing and hope that we can have a normal life after"

"Normal! Normal, Malfoy! When has my life ever _been_ normal! Ever since I was born I had to live in fear of my life because the Dark Lord might target us, I go to school and to what? To………never mind that. Then there was your _father_"

"Lucius is _not_ my father. You'd do well to remember this now that we'll be seeing a lot of each other"

"Hmph! And _you_ the _Prince_ of Slytherin"

"I'll admit I'm not proud of some of the things I did but I made up for them, didn't I? Isn't that worth any thing?" Draco began as a confession and ended as a plea.

Turning around, Astoria was faced with the bottomless pools that were Draco's storming silver-grey eyes. Even in agony, Astoria couldn't help but notice how they stood out from the cold slate grey she had encountered nearly a decade ago. Not able to withstand the intensity of their emotions, she moved away from the portrait and began to walk around the room doing meaningless things like righting the cushion and rearranging the flowers in the vase. When she ran out of things to do, she looked at Draco to find him leaning on the mantle with folded arms, staring at her in expectation.

"It all comes down to this, doesn't it?" she mumbled as she flopped down on the sofa Daphne had been occupying moments before.

It's funny how when one is consumed by thoughts, even the smallest time span seems eons ago.

"Whether I can cope without you to blame. Whether I can accept the fact that you didn't murder my parents. Whether I can admit that I've been wrong and that you have changed. Whether I'll have the guts to apologize for being so horrible to you"

"I didn't do all this for your apology, Astoria. If not today, you'd have realized this some other day"

"What _do_ you expect me to do? You won't let me help, you won't accept an apology either…….."

"I never said………"

Holding her hand up, Astoria said, in a resigned tone, "I'm exhausted, Draco. I have neither the will nor the inclination for these word games. I've had enough games in my life, Draco. Deadly games. The games of an insane old wizard. Games that shattered my family. I've seen enough shades of grey. The war never affected me the way it did you, I'll admit but my family meant a lot to me. I wasn't unlike any other pureblood girl back then. Family came first. Losing them all of a sudden meant that I had no one. Of course Pansy was always there but, she had Blaise to fall back on and I had only my hatred and remorse. I hated wizards and magic, which I believed, took my family away from me. Pansy'd have told you that I'd left the Wizarding World for a year after graduation. Then I realized that leaving behind magic meant leaving behind my family, the memories, a part of me was still clinging on to the feeble wish to go back. That's when the Muggle Section was built and I came here. And now, that very place is being attacked. May be my return here was wrong. May be I should have stayed back. May be……"

"There are too many may be's that can never be answered, Astoria. I have my fair share of them. If I hadn't helped kill Dumbledore, If I had joined the other side………One too many of them. The past is gone. Done with but, the present and the future are with us. Waiting for us to make some thing of them. Don't you think that's reason enough to wish for living? And normalcy?"

Astoria, who had been staring at Draco in amazement the entire time, now spoke with the same incredulity in her voice, "What happened to you, Draco? You've changed!"

Ignoring Draco's jab of 'glad you took notice at last', she went on, "I mean, you're not the same Draco from Hogwarts! You don't have that Pureblood mania any more; you treat every one like humans, hell! You even understand and care about what others feel! But,………."

"I haven't managed to convince the one that matters, have I? You still don't trust me"

"I've trusted people in the past, Draco. Blindly. None of them kept their promise. You've hurt me a lot of times too, you know. I realize now that you never meant to but still,……"

"You're wary of me," Draco muttered and it was filled more with hurt and pain than accusal and anger.

"I just want to know why, Draco"

"Why what?"

"Why did you change? The Draco I was told of, the one I have met scores of times wouldn't care about evil or good as long as he was unaffected leave alone giving up a job and a position of power for it. I know what pureblood children are taught. Self-preservation is the primary goal. What changed that, Draco?"

You. Seeing you made me realize that there was more to life than just looking after yourselves. Meeting you made me change but telling you this isn't going to change any thing.

"I'm sorry, Astoria. This isn't the time for elaborating on the reasons for my change. They are my own secrets to guard"

"Why do you turn so…..defensive when some one even mentions the topic?"

"Drop it, Astoria. What do you plan on doing?"

"I'm helping. Revenge or no revenge"

"I'm not letting you strain yourself. You need rest. Your immunity system is down to zero and the battle a few days before hasn't strengthened you. If you keep this up, you'll go back to the way you were after Mae's birthday party"

"I'm not backing out just because you don't think it right. You might have done me some good, Malfoy, but you don't rule me. My will is my own and so are my decisions. I'm helping and that's that"

"Let's make a deal"

"What about?"

"We'll go by what you say for a week, okay? If you're able to keep up, and remember you can't just act fine in front of me, I'll know. Then, I'll agree to your offer. Otherwise……"

"Otherwise?"

"You choose"

"Between the two?"

"Yeah. And if push comes to shove, I'll make you go back to the Muggle section"

"Deal"

"I'll see you on Monday then. At eight. My flat. Bring Daphne too. She needs to tell us the basics"

"Sure"

"Leaving already, Draco?" Daphne asked as she entered the room. She appeared exhausted and tired, but oddly happy.

"Yeah! I need to go prepare the flat for work now that I won't be having my own room"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it" Astoria said as she rushed to open the door.

"Hello, " George Weasley's merry voice was heard before he entered the room.

"What brings you here, Weasley" Draco's voice was an odd mixture of restraint and welcome.

"Oh, that! The Order wants to meet all of you. Actually,……….dang it, they just want to protect Daphne here. They want to know the facts before the ministry. So that they can give you a way to escape the sentence" George finished, turning to Daphne and winked.

A faint pink appeared on her cheek as she replied with, "That's generous of them but I cannot come without my friends"

"That's why all of you, meaning you, your sister, Malfoy, the Zabinis and Theodore Nott are formally invited to the Order of the Phoenix's weekly meeting. Bring along Mae too, if you don't mind. She's a bundle of joy"

"Okay! I'll relay it to every one else. How do we get there?"

"Be ready here by 5pm on Saturday. I'll come get you. See you, Daphne"

"Yeah!"

"Do we have to go?" Astoria asked as soon as he had left.

"Let's give them a chance, Astoria. They might actually have some thing worthwhile for us"

"Hmm………."

A/n: Hey every body!!!!!!!!!I'm back!!!!!!!!!!Now, I know I haven't been updating for a week but I hope the length of this chap makes up for it!!!!!!

So, do you like Draco's decision? Do you think he was right in refusing the head position? What will be that other prophecy? What will the return of the seer mean? Who is that 'little girl'? Will Draco and Astoria put aside their differences? And most importantly, what will happen at the meeting?

You've gotta wait for the next chap for that!!!!!!

Any suggestions? Queries?

Tell me through a review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	15. The meeting and long lost crushes

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 15: The meeting and long lost crushes

It was Saturday and it was 4 45pm. And Daphne was pacing in the living room. And Astoria kept staring at her. Completely unaffected. And that aggravated her. So much so that she forgot for a moment about her irritation. With Him. Only for a moment, though.

"Should I order new wooden planks? You seem to be quite intent on striding a dent in the old ones" Astoria's voice was so infuriatingly calm as Daphne was agitated.

"Malfoy's affected you too much"

Neither accepting the statement, nor denying it, "Even so, why are you pacing? Its still ten minutes to five. And Weasleys are not renowned for their punctuality"

"I am not worried about Weasley"

"Oh, really?" Pansy retorted as she came from the other room with lavenders in her hand "Why else are you so restless?"

"I'm not restless!"

Five more minutes of frantic pacing later, "Okay, may be I am a _bit_ worried"

"About Weasley?" Astoria put in helpfully.

"No! About the meeting. What if none of them believe me? What if they think I'm bluffing? What if…"

"Daph! Calm down! First of all, it's an Order meeting, not the one at the Ministry. There is still a week for that. And even so, you are going to face people, not Dementors! And Weasley was very clear. He said the Order wanted to protect you. You don't need to be so anxious" Astoria assured as she walked up to Daphne who had stilled upon hearing the word dementors.

"If nothing works out, we can always run away!" Astoria finished with a flourish.

"Wow! Looks like we're having our old Astoria back, right Pansy?"

"Wonder how?" Pansy pondered while she arranged the flowers in the vase.

"Quit it, Pansy! They'll wilt in a few days!" Deftly, Astoria avoided the topic of her radical change of thoughts, though her face colored at the mention of it. It was enough that a simple admittance could shake her so much. Give her so much hope. She didn't need to be reminded of it.

"And I'll come back and replace them. Ah! That should be Draco"

"Or Theo. Or Blaise" Daphne stated.

"Or Weasley" Astoria supplied helpfully.

Indeed Pansy was right and it was Draco who was at the door though before he could so much as wish them a hello, Theo and Mae appeared through the floo.

Astoria's attention was immediately drawn to the spluttering child.

"What happened Mae?"

"The Gween powder. Went into my nose. Achoo!"

"Keep sneezing, okay? You'll be okay in a bit"

"Okay! Achoo! Were are we going? Daddy woudn't say!"

Astoria's face broke into an easy smile as she looked in the direction Mae's puny fingers were pointing and mock glared at Theo.

"We're going to meet people"

"Real informative"

"Theo! You've got to stop teaching her come backs!"

"That was all Draco. I swear she talks more and more like him every second"

"Draco! You'll spoil her rotten before she's even set foot in Hogwarts"

"Of course! She's my god daughter, after all" Draco retorted as he lifted Mae much to her amusement.

"Will you spin me around, Uncle Draco?"

"Later, Mae. Would you like to meet children?"

"Will they be like me?"

"Yes, Mae. So?"

"So what?"

"No, no. You can't use those lines on me, okay?"

Just then there was another knock on the door followed by the voices of Blaise and George.

"Yeah! Every thing is ready. I'm sure we can present the facts to them. Yeah, yeah, I'm quite certain of the evidences"

"Good. The Order will need at least a few days' time to process all the data. With the Wizengamot calling for us in a week, we need to be even quicker"

"I understand"

"Is every one ready?" George asked as he looked around the room "We can leave Mae with Ted"

"Okay!"

"Apparate to Ottery . I'll take you from there"

Daphne was the last one left and before she apparated, she looked back at the portrait in the hall and thought

_Mum, Dad, If I live through this, I'll take your advice. I'll live life the way you've always wanted me to. I'll put my heart before my ambition. I promise you both that. I'm sorry if I ever let you down. I'm sorry…_

As she apparated into the street, she saw that the rest had already appeared and were waiting for her.

"Let's go"

As George opened the door to the Burrow, Daphne could see the interior of the house as if she was standing at its middle. It was exactly the kind of house she liked. The one, which, at a glance, could show you every thing in it. The one that gave you a vibe of security and…love.

"Come on in. Wait for a few minutes. The meeting is in the kitchen. I'll come back"

Before George could come back, a small face peeked out from the railing of the steps.

Seeing so many new faces, the face tried retreating.

Alas! Mae had spotted him!

"Hey there!"

As Mae skipped up to the child, George came back in and called to them.

Seeing Mae's preoccupation, he said, "She'll be alright with Teddy. Come"

As they entered the kitchen, Draco's first impression was that the room looked more like an attic than a meeting room but, wisely, he kept his observations to himself.

"George, could you take Daphne for a tour of the house?" Arthur Weasley's voice was casual and commanding.

"Come Daphne"

After the two had left the room, he turned to the rest of the gathering, and said, "I can't give you promises. What I can do is give you my word that I'll do my best to save your friend. If you give us all the facts, that is"

"We are willing to give you the data. What we have gathered, what we have guessed…"

Blaise proceeded to explain to the group about his deciphering of the prophecy and what Daphne had already told him.

"So, we believe in a prophecy. Again" Harry's voice was a defeated sigh as Blaise completed his account.

"Yes, Potter. But this time, we don't even know who it is!"

"And about this thing that attacked us.." Harry was cut short by Draco.

"I've already told you this. I will take care of it. Finding a counter curse should be easy once you have witnessed the curse. Astoria and Daphne have agreed to help me. We should be able to do it within a week"

"Are you sure, ? Would you need any more help?"

"This is related to the Dark Arts, . I don't think you can help if it is some thing even I can't get"

The statement was made so factually that none of those present, even Ron, could think of a retort.

"We'd like to ask a few questions of Daphne. To confirm that her story coincides with yours. I assure you this is all a formality" Bill Weasley stood up to go get Daphne.

Another half hour of questioning later,

"We have come to the conclusion that Daphne is innocent. We'll do what we can for her. I hadn't expected such strong evidences. I know what I said at the beginning of this meeting but after consulting with I can assure you that your friend won't be seeing the Wizard prison any time soon"

It cost Draco all his dignity, but what had to be said had to be said.

"Thank you, . We appreciate your efforts"

The meeting broke up and they left soon after.

"Are you sure, Hermione?"

"About what, George?"

"The Law. Do you think she'll really be free?"

"Sure, George. Shacklebolt is the Minister of Magic, and he's a just person. The proof they have is very convincing too. There is an easy chance for the case to win"

"Thanks 'Mione"

"Can I ask you some thing, George?"

"Yeah?"

"You are so concerned?"

"Oh, I guess" George's shrug was more of discomfiture than dismissal.

"Is the prankster having a crush?"

"Shh…Not you too, Ginny!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So I was right?" Astoria asked as she looked at Daphne through the mirror while she lounged on the bed.

"No. It's just dinner. Don't go about making speculations. And, I know about that bet you have with Pansy"

"Which one? The one about your date? Or the one about your marriage?"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Sorry!" Astoria bit her tongue.

"Oh, whatever!" Daphne dismissed the subject as she took her cloak, which was lying on the chair.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was nearly half an hour after Daphne had left and Astoria was bored. And annoyed. And angry.

Having nothing to do, she had tried to read a book, which, just her luck, had been a paperback romance. With the happy ending.

Throwing the book aside, she had tried to contact Mercy, only to remember that she had the night shift.

_Of course, I shouldn't have resorted to reading this book. Look where it's leading me now!_ She thought, her eyes drooping, as she looked down at the Runes book Daphne had left on the table by the couch.

Deciding to have a cup of coffee to clear her head, she went into the kitchen.

After fixing herself a cup, she sat down in the chair and gave the book another try.

After fifteen more minutes, she had to admit that she'd never be interested in Runes as much as Daphne was. Even at school she had never faired well in it.

And not being able to distract herself with work made her thoughtful. Of a certain blond-haired healer. Which infuriated her. And thus, she came a full circle. Back to Draco.

Sighing in defeat, she plopped down on the couch she had previously vacated.

It wasn't so much thinking of him that bothered her. She had a habit of observing people. As mere human beings. And then analyzing their actions and reactions. As people. Nameless, faceless people. Not as…acquaintances. Not as people who affected her. And certainly not as people who kept her awake and wondering at night.

Sure as hell not as a long lost crush.

_There_ she thought_ I've accepted the fact._

Of course, since we aren't Astoria, we wouldn't understand what she was thinking about, right?

Well, remember what she said about, or rather, what she didn't say about what she faced in Hogwarts?

Yeah, you see, when she was in…her third year, she had had this insane; as she thought now, crush on Draco.

It hadn't helped her when he hadn't even noticed her existence.

_That's all in the past, now. No use blaming him for some thing he didn't even know about._

But what about what you're feeling now? What he's feeling?

Unable, or rather unwilling to answer the questions of her own traitorous heart; she shifted in the couch to stare at the family portrait, which seemed to be her source of comfort now a days.

Growing up, Astoria had not wanted fairytale endings. No. She had only wanted the love she had seen her parents share.

Through thick and thin, she had seen her parents lean on each other.

Being the naïve child she had been, she had wanted the same for herself.

But, Hogwarts had come. And so had reality.

Now, she was too scarred to wish for her childhood dreams again. Yet her heart was intent on hoping. Convinced of a promise. Of the very person who had broken it in the first place.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Astoria! Astoria!" the half mad voice of Draco woke her from her slumber.

"Draco!" sleepy and disoriented, Astoria rose from her place and looked at him in confusion.

His robes were dirty and torn. He was panting and seemed tired and injured. His forehead had a gash from which blood was dripping. She could also detect the signs of a black eye and such other injuries on him.

The worst seemed to be his right leg, since he seemed to be favoring his left and was, very clearly, limping.

"What happened to you?" Astoria asked in alarm as she rushed to get her wand.

"Where's Daphne?"

"With Weasley? Why? What's the matter?"

"She should be safe then. Can I use your floo?"

"Sure"

Within ten minutes, he had called on the Zabinis and had told Theo, who had been there, that every thing was fine.

"Now, will you tell me what's the matter?" she asked as she directed him to a bed on the ground floor and began waving her wand.

"I found a way" was all Draco was able to gasp out before he fainted.

A/n: Yeah! I know you are about ready to kill me for the cliffhanger but, all will be revealed in the next chap and it's almost done too.

So, what do you think of Astoria's crush?

Tell me through a review!!!!!!!!!!

See ya!


	16. Concussions n Uncharacteristic behaviors

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 16: Concussions and uncharacteristic behaviors

When Draco came to, Astoria was still muttering under her breath though he was sure what he heard weren't spells. They sounded more like she was berating him or some thing.

"Was that a real spell?" Draco mumbled as he heard her clearly utter a string of threats.

"Oh! You're awake! That's good! You've broken your leg bone. I've fixed it as best as I can. The other injuries were minor. Except for the gash on your forehead. You may be having a mild concussion. So don't panic if you act uncharacteristically for a few hours" she stated as she went about rechecking the bandages on his head and nodded to herself.

"Thanks"

"Hmm?" Astoria asked absently as she looked out the window. Treating him while he was unconscious was one thing. Dealing with a conscious and grateful Draco was entirely another cup of tea. And it irked her that simply by being awake, he could make her so flustered.

"For helping me. I wasn't sure I'd be able to heal myself"

"Thank god you had that much sense. You'd only have made the situation worse. How did you come here?"

"By foot"

"Funny, Draco. Really, how did you get here? I thought you had gone out" Astoria asked, having heard from Pansy that Draco had gone out earlier in the day. And before you ask, no, she wasn't worried about his whereabouts. Not at all.

"I apparated" Draco's voice was unintelligible as he admitted it.

"You knew that wasn't safe. What with you being injured! You'd most likely have splinched yourself!"

"I know. But, but …I had to make sure you and Daphne were safe. I couldn't afford to take the Knight Bus or a broom"

"A broom! In your state!"

"I didn't use it, did I now?" Draco's voice was a bit snappier than he had intended and he immediately felt sorry for it.

"At least you had that much sense" Astoria's voice was aloof as she gathered the contents of her medicine kit.

"Has Daphne returned home?"

"She's with Theo. Mae's running a temperature and Theo won't say why. She's gone there to aid him"

"Oh, good. And Mae's just frightened. Attempted kidnap can do that to children" Draco replied as he tried to get into a sitting position. It only resulted in moving his leg which brought him enormous pain.

"I thought you knew broken bones took a few hours to heal" Astoria stated amusedly as she watched Draco rebuke himself silently.

"Yeah! I just don't know how long I have been out"

"Six hours. And what was that about Mae you said?"

"Six hours! Oh my god! I've wasted so much time! Quick! Call Daphne. I need to tell her…"

"You'll _not_ get out of this bed until I say so" Astoria declared as she brought him a vial filled with potion.

Accepting defeat, Draco drank the offered potion "Ugh! This one's disgusting! Never will I ask my patients to drink this"

"You never told me what happened"

"Well… I had simply gone to visit Theo and Mae. And she wanted to go to the park. That's quite usual for her and so we went to the park for a bit. Mercy had apparently decided to visit Theo before her shift. Seeing his house closed, she had come to the park in search of us. I told them that I'll take care of Mae. I…" Draco's voice, which had steadily been rising, abruptly stopped and a tortured look came upon his face.

Seeing him in such a state, Astoria sat down by the bed and placed a hand on the side of his face.

"Don't blame your self, Draco. You couldn't have known. You'd never have hurt Mae willingly"

Draco leaned into her hand and his voice was thick with doubt as he spoke, "Wouldn't I have? I doubt myself Astoria. I don't know what I'd do if I were faced with my life over another's. I'm afraid I'll choose selfishly. And regret it till the last day of my life"

"Then you won't be selfish. I'm not saying that you are an archangel, Draco. No one on earth is. Not even Harry Potter. But, you aren't what you were, either. If you were a selfish person, you wouldn't be blaming yourself like this. If self preservation had been your belief, you wouldn't have rushed here to make sure we were safe. You don't need to be afraid of the world's opinions any more Draco. You've shown them that you can be as normal a person as any body else. If they can't accept it, then it's their own loss" Astoria's voice was filled with conviction as she absentmindedly stroked his cheek. She knew he had kept all his doubts within himself for a long time now. Pushing him to continue with what happened wasn't going to make him feel any better. What he needed now was an ear that would listen and a voice that would soothe his doubts away.

"You have a way of putting things, Astoria. Makes them seem insignificant" Draco commented as he smiled for the first time since he had burst into the house.

"It's all a matter of how close to your eye you keep your problems" Astoria stated offhandedly.

"You need to rest" she said as he stood up from her place.

"Don't you want to know what happened?" Draco's voice was earnest as he held her hand. Astoria got the distinct feeling that he wasn't just asking about the incident.

"You are exhausted"

"I need to tell this to some one. Better you than any one else. Please?"

If his desperate hold on her hand and his lost look hadn't already convinced her, the 'please' would have.

She sat back on the bed and Draco took both her hands in his.

"I'm not going to run away, you know?" Astoria said, staring down at their joined hands.

"No, it's not that. I just need a remainder is all"

"Remainder?"

"Nothing..I guess the concussion _is_ going to my head after all" Draco replied, hoping that his proclamation of illness would save him from the embarrassment of explaining his own words.

And it worked, as Astoria immediately began to fuss over the head bandage. After satisfying herself that it was secure, she sat back down and Draco continued to speak.

"By the time we were returning from the park, it was already late. I should have been more careful. I was a fool to think they'd leave after the first attack"

Seeing him scold himself brought her an inexplicable urge to defend him. And console him. And protect him. From whom, she was still unsure.

"Then?" she gently urged him to continue with the story.

"Death Eaters. Five at the most. I could have handled them myself if it hadn't been for those" Draco shivered as he relived the terrifying memory.

"The things that attacked at Mungo's?"

"Yeah! I'd thought that they were parts of that mass. It appears they aren't. Otherwise they couldn't have been present there"

"What happened next?"

"They surrounded me. They didn't even go near Mae. And for that, I'm grateful. No body should have to experience that, Astoria. Least of all Mae. It was like…how would you feel if a thousand dementors were surrounding you? And you were put under the cruciatus curse? And sectumsepra'ed? All at the same time?"

"Draco, Draco!" Astoria's voice was panicked as she shook Draco, who suddenly seemed to be in a lot of pain.

His eyes began to roll back into their sockets and his eyes closed for a second, before he opened them.

Astoria could see that his eyes were glazed and unseeing. Yet, his face contorted into a grimace, as if he was being tortured all over again.

"Draco! Wake up! It's over! It's over! Wake up"

Five minutes had passed and Draco was yet to wake up from his trance. Frantic, Astoria kneeled beside the bed and shook him violently. Seeing that have no effect, she gave him a slap with all of her energy, making his head snap in the other direction.

"Draco! Draco! Come on! Don't scare me like this! Open your eyes!" Astoria's voice was broken as she continued to speak to a still Draco.

After five more nerve-wracking minutes, Draco slowly opened his eyes.

"Could that have been because of the concussion?"

"Why, you…you faint like you're demented or some thing and then you have the _nerve_ to ask me if it could have been the concussion? If you don't want to know what a real concussion will be like, you'd better shut up now"

Draco, seeing her tone of voice belie her words, couldn't help but smile.

"Its okay, Astoria. I'm fine now" Draco assured her as he stroked her hair.

"Fine! You faint for a full ten minutes, scaring the wits out of me and then you say that you are fine!" Astoria ranted as she placed her head on his chest. Hearing his steady heartbeat gave her a feeling of assurance.

"You were scared for me" Draco's voice was unnaturally soft as his hands moved to her face.

"I was terrified" Astoria admitted.

"Astoria, this might not seem like the time for it, but…"

"No. Don't" Astoria shook her head as her face eluded his grasp.

"Why not, Astoria? Why can't I tell you what I feel?"

"Please! Let's not discuss this now. You are hurt. You are in no state to argue. I don't want you to regret it later when you recover"

"That's plain stupid, Astoria. Couldn't you think of a better reason to avoid me?" Draco's voice was now bitter.

"Avoid you? Do you think that's the reason, Draco? Avoiding you never works, did you know? You manage to interfere in my life no matter how much I try to avoid you. I have accepted that. I might even have come to depend on it. But, I have my own demons to battle. And you have yours. We need time to sort out the hindrances. If you think that amounts to avoiding you, go ahead"

Rising from her crouching position, she moved towards the door when a hand caught her.

"I hurt you"

"You manage to do that quite well now a days. Without even trying"

"I don't know what to say. I'm not very good with apologies" Draco's voice was unsure as his grip was steady on her hand.

"Wouldn't surprise me if you had never apologized to any one before"

"You were always an exception. Wouldn't you look at me while I try?"

"There is no need for one. I don't need your apologies to know that you feel bad"

"You'll forgive me?"

"You did nothing wrong"

"Then why won't you look at me?"

Turning her head, she looked at Draco who was lying on the bed, white as the sheets beneath him.

If not for his warm hand on hers, she'd have thought he had frozen.

"You're straining yourself. You should rest. Stop thinking. Close your eyes. Go to sleep"

Astoria spoke in a tender voice, knowing that it'd help him relax.

When Draco's breath steadied after a few minutes, she removed his hand from hers.

"If we get out of this mess, Draco, I promise you. I'll make sure I never leave you. You'll have no choice. Sleep tight, Draco" her voice was a whispered promise as she leaned down to kiss his cheeks.

A/n: So, what do you guys think? Was Draco too soft? Was Astoria too cold? Tell me through a review!!!!!!!!

I know I haven't revealed the entire incident at the park. The next chapter should make up for it.

See ya!


	17. Draco's tale

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters……**

Chapter 17: Draco's tale

It was Monday morning and Astoria was running around the house making arrangements.

After Daphne had returned, the two had given him six more hours of sleep before either of them had tried to disturb him. Even then, it was Daphne who had went in first.

Astoria had peeped in before entering, as if she was entering a stranger's house with the intention of raiding it.

Draco had been sleeping even then, and contrary to what she had expected, he looked different in sleep. Not the angelic face she had imagined at all.

_He couldn't pull of an innocent look if his life depended on it_.

The early morning breeze from the open window was brushing his platinum blond locks, which had been draping his forehead, away from his face, making his face seem longer, more refined and somber. He was smiling, in sleep, but it wasn't that of a guileless child but seemed to say that he was happy and content with the way he was now and wouldn't mind if he remained the same way for life. Though it sort of destroyed the indomitable playboy look he always had, the bandage that she had plastered above his eye set it off. Astoria felt a baffling and abrupt burst of delight in knowing that she _might_ have been the cause for it.

He was lying in a perfect sleeping posture, which she thought he might have learnt from his training at Mungo's.

His hands were lying one over the other on his chest which rose steadily with his breathing.

Daphne now shook those very hands, trying to wake him up. With no success.

"I never thought he'd be this light a sleeper" Daphne's words were dripping with sarcasm.

"Let me try"

Astoria walked to the bed and knelt down by it.

She bent down by his ear and whispered, "Draco! Your Mum's here"

"What? Where?" Draco's deep grey eyes were wide with alarm as he shot out of bed like an arrow.

_Still works like a spell_ thought Astoria as she stood back up and looked down at him. She daren't go any closer, for she knew he wasn't a very enjoyable person to be with in the morning.

"At the Manor, Draco" Daphne replied as she came forward and Astoria swiftly stood behind her.

"What time is it? I hate not being able to tell even the time or the day!" he grumbled as he looked at Daphne questioningly.

"It's eleven in the morning, Draco. And Monday"

"Monday! Come on! Get going! We need to start working! What are you guys waiting for?"

"May be we should have let him sleep" Daphne murmured to Astoria who shook her head in the affirmative.

Draco had tried to get up, forgetting that his leg was still healing and stumbled and fell back into the bed in a spectacular fashion.

"You really do have a bad memory" Astoria commented as she came towards the bed once again.

"I'm just not used to being an invalid" Draco retorted as he once again tried to stand up, this time more slowly, and succeeded in standing up.

"Don't strain it even more" Astoria warned, seeing that he was trying to walk normally.

"I'm fine. Just a bit of a stitch. You don't have to worry so much" Draco assured them and, as if proving a point, began walking around the room.

"Could you manage it till the kitchen?" Daphne, who was already walking towards the door.

"Sure" Draco said and Astoria too left the room.

Left alone now, Draco was left to ponder the first moment of wakefulness, where he had seen Astoria's face up close. At first, he had thought that he had been dreaming, as usual.

But then, she hadn't vanished, like in the dreams. She had simply moved back, smiling at him as if he had done some thing to amuse her. Which he had, now that he thought about it.

_Great, Draco! The very first thing you do in the morning is making a total and complete damn fool of yourself! In front of Astoria, nonetheless! Oh, Daphne will never let him live this down!_

Half an hour later, when Draco emerged into the kitchen, she saw Astoria at the stove, cooking at the stove, and Daphne sitting at the table sipping what smelled like tea, from a porcelain cup.

"Is this some sort of celebration? Who ordered the China?" Draco joked as he sat opposite Daphne.

"Habit. I've gotten used to drinking tea. And from porcelain cups"

"Wait till you see her with the chopsticks. She's quite talented"

"You talk as if it's some kind of achievement" Daphne exclaimed as she took another sip of her tea.

"To me, yes. What do you say, Draco"

Draco only shrugged.

"What do you take coffee? Or tea?"

"Coffee, please. Black"

"Okay"

"So what do we do now? When can we start with the research?"

"Can you at least _try_ to rest for a bit, Draco? You're hurt"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say! Who knows who it would be next! We've gotta do this as quickly as possible! And I'd promised Mr Weasley that we'd wrap it up within a week"

"Since when did you care about keeping dead lines? One you gave to a Weasley, nonetheless?"

"That's irrelevant! We have to get started as soon as we can!"

"But…"

"I think it'd be better if we heard the entire story first Draco" Daphne interrupted, trying, if not to avoid, then at least to postpone the argument that was sure to ensue "Astoria told me till the death eaters"

"I was at the brink of consciousness when there was a light from some where. It was too bright for me to trace the source and even so, my sight was too hazy"

"What happened then?"

"I fainted. When I woke up, I was in the same place, and Mae was shaking me trying to wake me up"

"Is that all you remember?"

"You told me you had found a way!" Astoria retorted as she placed a cup of coffee before him.

"Yes, I have. Since I have experienced it, I can easily detect their characters and then we can modify the existing spells to suit them"

"Modify the spells?"

"It will take a lot more time to discover a completely new spell. We can simply remove certain strands of an existing spell an insert new ones"

"You talk as if you're going to make jewellery!" Daphne exclaimed.

"It is sort of like that. All the syllables in the spell, the wand movements, the way you pronounce them, the wand you use, the opponent, all go into how effective the spell is. That's why certain people excel in certain fields"

"How long will it take?"

"We need to first find a spell to modify and that will take a few days. Once the spell is found, the rest should go faster"

"Then we should begin as soon as possible" Daphne said, now agreeing with Draco.

"If you faint inside my house again, I won't be the one looking after you Draco" Astoria warned though the three of them knew she'd do it any way.

"You aren't backing away from the deal, are you?" Draco asked, from behind his cup of coffee.

"Of course not! Be ready to lose Draco"

"We'll see about that" Draco replied as he finished his cup of coffee.

A/n: I know this chap was unnecessary in the story but I just felt like making Astoria struggle a bit with the other two about Draco's health. And of course, there was the incident at the park!

Any guesses on what that white light was?

As always, review!


	18. Celebration, not so

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters…**

Chapter 18: The celebration, not so

Astoria entered the apartment a few days later, only to be met with the unchanging scene of Draco working at the table in the middle of it.

He was seated on the chair beside the table, reading, his hair tousled and messy, from lying on the couch too much or from constantly running a hand through it, she wasn't entirely sure.

He hadn't noticed her entrance, which suited her just fine since she did not want to look at his sleep deprived face and tired eyes which had been the cause for much of their arguing as of late.

The task they had undertaken appeared to be much more complex than he had described and Draco was entirely too careful not to make the other two strain themselves.

It ended up in him having to do most of the work.

Astoria had tried reasoning with him, argued till both of them had been out of breath and had even threatened to destroy the entire research they, he, had accomplished. But to no avail.

She had once accused him of wanting to have all the glory of inventing a new spell to himself, which was the only thing that had gained any reaction from him.

He had looked up into her eyes momentarily with such earnest hurt that she hadn't dared to mention it again.

Even Daphne, who had initially supported Draco, was now worried that he was pushing his own limits.

Anyone who looked at Draco now would not recognize him as the young and handsome healer who had captivated the occupants of St Mungo's weeks before.

More than his health, he was fast becoming a recluse and that was what worried Astoria more than anything else.

Though she was happy that he wasn't confessing his undying love to her anymore, she wasn't sure she liked this new work obsessed Draco any better.

She crossed to the kitchen more out of habit than anything else, to make coffee, which was what he depended on to support himself.

Astoria hadn't mentioned it to him that she was adding the nutrition potion in it. It's not as if it would elicit anymore reaction from him than a shake of the head, and even so, he wouldn't have any reason to protest.

She was pouring out the coffee when she almost dropped it from the sound of an explosion.

Before she could place the cup on the counter and rush out, Draco came into the kitchen.

He seemed surprised at seeing her there, as if he hadn't noticed her come in. Which he probably hadn't.

Astoria looked at him, at the mess he had become. His cloak was torn in places where the explosion must have singed it, and his face appeared a bit grey, from the thin layer of soot that covered it. The expression in his face was of incredulity and triumph, and she suspected that something had happened. He coughed a bit to clear his throat,

"Astoria"

If his face hadn't told her the news, the tone of his voice certainly did. It was filled with happiness, relief, pride and a certain amount of arrogance he never seemed capable of avoiding.

"You're a mess" she said calmly, trying to ignore his apparent eagerness.

"Never mind that. I have horribly comforting news to tell you"

Trust him to use the worst adjective to comforting.

"You're quitting?"

"No way! Not now that I've found it out!"

"Oh!" she seemed unruffled, confusing him.

"What? Aren't you happy that we've found it?"

"We? I think it would be safe to assume you are happy with your finding?"

"I don't understand"

"I know that, Malfoy. You seem to be incapable of understanding anything other than books and spells now-a-days"

_What was she talking about?_

"What are you talking about?"

"It's no use trying to tell you. I don't want to keep you from celebrating your victory all by yourself. You wouldn't want me to be in the way. Good day"

She rushed out of the kitchen, the jar of coffee she had brewed still on the table were she had hurriedly placed it.

Draco walked over to it now, hoping that a cup of coffee might clear his mind of the illusion that had appeared.

Because that must have been what had happened now.

Because Astoria could have no reason to be so angry with him.

He sensed that the coffee tasted different, sweeter somehow.

He didn't have to look for long before he found the vial marked nutrition potion.

It was almost empty. That must mean he had been taking it for sometime now.

He hadn't noticed.

The coffee failing its purpose, he decided to visit the Zabinis.

The house calmed him as it always did.

He waited in the living room, walking around it, looking for a source of familiarity.

"Look what the cat dragged in" Pansy commented dryly as she entered the room followed by Blaise.

"Nice to see you too Pansy. I have great news!"

"Let's hear it then" Blaise interrupted, before Pansy could make another biting remark.

"I've got the basics done. I wanted to wait for you guys before I tried it out, though"

"Good. But why would you need us?"

"Pansy!"

"You can defend him all you want, Blaise. I'm not so forgiving, Merlin help me"

"What is this all about, Pansy? You're being so…I dunno. Astoria acted the same way today when I told her. What's with you guys? Aren't you supposed to be happy that we've found the way out?"

"You told Astoria?"

"Yeah! She was there in the kitchen when I told her. She seemed oddly irritated and disappointed. And then there was the way she spoke, some thing about me being unable to understand anything other than books or some such thing"

"Seems she was right afterall. You are stupid, Draco"

Draco looked on, still oblivious, as Pansy began speaking in a rush.

"I'll be straight with it, Draco. You have been ignoring us for the past weeks. We had thought it was supposed to be all about standing together, being a team, you know? You wanted Astoria and Daphne for help, I can understand that"

"Only because Daphne could give me a full account of the prophecy and Astoria tricked me into letting her help me"

"So you make her feel that she was a useless puppet?"

"I never said that!"

"What have you done to prove me otherwise? At what time during the past weeks have you let us help you, Draco?"

"I just din't want to risk any of you getting hurt!"

"Oh! And you facing the entirety of it would lull us to sleep at night?"

"That's not fair! I was only trying to…"

"Protect us? When did you turn into a Gryffindor? Trust me, all this bravery and nobility is making me suspect you and a polyjuice potion together"

"Don't you think what I am doing is right?"

"Of course it is! I appreciate you trying to make the right choice this time over, Draco. That doesn't mean you should change yourself completely. Some of us were very attached to the old Draco, you know?"

"The one who tired to kill Dumbledore?"

"The one who was ready to try an impossible task for the sake of his family"

Draco dismissed the statement with a wave of his hand.

"What does this have anything to do with Astoria's words?"

"I've been telling you what she has been trying to tell you all this time"

"That I should stop helping in this?"

"That you should let us all help you rather than taxing yourself. And no non sense about shielding us from danger. We make our own decisions"

"Slytherins"

Draco nodded his head. He had been taught that since his childhood.

Make your own decisions and stand by your fellow Slytherins.

Draco realized he hadn't being doing much of the second one recently.

"May be I should have asked you guys"

"May be you should have"

"Celebrating all by myself…"

"Huh?"

"No, nothing. Now I get it. She must have been frustrated, not being able to help"

"She was at the brink of going mad" Pansy assented.

"I should probably go"

"That may not be the best idea. There's no telling what she'd do in a temper"

"I'll just have to endure it then"

Draco left the manor hurriedly, hoping against hope that he'd not have the door shut in his face.

A/n: Hey there! I know I've not been updating at all, the updates should be faster now that I'm back to writing this one!

Sorry for the crappy chap, the next one should compensate for it!

_Preview:_

_His eyes were drawn to her involuntarily._

_She was by far the happiest person in the portrait. Her eyes sparkled with delight and contentment._

_A person who had wanted nothing more in her life._

_And yet, not many years later, she was desolate and shattered._

_Looking at the portrait gave him the resolution and strength he needed to walk up the two flights of steps that would take him to the real life form of the portrait._


	19. Facing the storm

Diaclaimer: Not JK…

Chapter 19: Facing the storm

Draco stood before the door of Greengrass Manor, waiting for it to open.

He should have listened to Pansy. She was always right when it concerned Astoria .

But, he couldn't have stayed away.

_All by yourself_

The words and her expression haunted him, mocking at his ignorance.

_You wouldn't want me to be in the way._

He must have been a damn fool not to have noticed that.

The door was opened, to his relief, by Daphne.

She raised her eyebrows in a clear sign that said, 'what are you doing here? Go away while you still can'.

"Won't you invite me in?"

"Sure"

She moved away to let him enter.

" Astoria ?"

"Is in her room and I'd advise you not to go there now"

"I know. I wasn't going to. I just wanted to talk to you"

"Me?"

"Yeah! I wanted to apologize for the way I have been behaving. I was ignoring you guys. It wasn't right…"

"You were trying to lookout for us, and there is nothing wrong with that"

Daphne's calm voice gave him the needed comfort.

"I know Pansy isn't of the same opinion. As much as I wish you had let us assist, I can accept it without much regret"

" Astoria …"

"…can't. I know. Tends to happen when you are too attached to someone"

Daphne smiled at Draco's protesting look.

"I'm going out. George wanted to show me something or the other that day. I'm sure he'd be free now"

"Enjoy your date, Daph"

Draco plopped down on the couch as soon as she had left.

He was afraid, he had to admit. Terrified.

This wasn't the first time he was apologizing to her, but the other times, he hadn't had much to lose.

There hadn't been so much at stake.

He paced the room, finally coming to a stop infront of the portrait which Astoria valued as much as her own life.

His eyes were drawn to her involuntarily.

She was by far the happiest person in the portrait. Her eyes sparkled with delight and contentment.

A person who had wanted nothing more in her life.

And yet, not many years later, she was desolate and shattered.

Looking at the portrait gave him the resolution and strength he needed to walk up the two flights of steps that would take him to the real life form of the portrait.

The door to her room was open, though that did not help him see through the darkness.

He entered the room and lit it up, only to find Astoria sitting on the bed.

She was staring at the door where he had been but moments before, her expression imperceptible.

"Hi!"

He was startled at the sound of her voice. He hadn't expected her to speak at all.

"Did I wake you? Were you sleeping?"

"Yes, I was. But you've woken me up anyway"

"I'm sorry"

"Never mind"

He sat down in the armchair which was the only other piece of furniture in the room.

"Where's Daphne?"

"She's gone off to meet George"

Silence reigned in the room once again, with him looking at his entwined hands not knowing how to bring the subject up and she, worried that her self control wouldn't be up to such a challenge.

Before he had arrived, she had had no problem with deciding to forget him entirely. As unlikely and unwelcome as that had seemed.

She had fallen asleep with that very resolution in her mind. Her sub conscious, it appeared, had different ideas.

This wasn't the first time she had dreamt of him, but, she had never dreamt of his death.

And then, the scene had shifted to that day he had apologized to her, his eyes full of such honest affection that had baffled her.

The rest of the dream was a blur, yet it had been his agonized face that had woken her up panting.

She was shaken, the dream affecting her more than it would have anyone else.

She must have been shouting in her dream, for her throat was parched and dry.

She stood up to get some water, hoping that Daphne would have ignored her screams as venting her anger.

She had all but returned to her room, when she heard the door open and a voice, _his voice_, asked to be let in.

She was sure that Daphne would stop him from seeing her. So she had returned to her room, unruffled.

What she hadn't accounted for was Daphne giving in.

She looked at his face at the same time he decided to look at her face one last time before he left.

He couldn't bear to hear her declare her utter hatred for him, which was what would definitely happen. It was better he lived in his own illusions and memories.

Their eyes met, grey on green, and there was a world of difference between the two.

Her eyes were calm, composed, calculating.

His eyes though, were full of trepidation, anxiety and a sort of dread.

"I should be leaving" Draco stood up, despair in his every move.

She had been prepared not to see his face for the rest of her life, but now that he _was_ here, she wasn't willing to let him go just yet. She felt like she was the most pathetic thing on earth.

"Will you?"

Her eyes turned challenging, trying to draw a response from him.

"I'm a coward"

"Guessed as much"

"I think we don't have anything else to clear up then"

Her unaffected demeanor irritated him and he wished that she'd atleast shout at him as he had expected.

"I don't think so"

"Whatever it is I don't want to hear it"

Fear of rejection was topmost in his mind.

That might have been why he hadn't noticed the affronted expression in her eyes.

"You don't have a choice"

Draco looked at her in confusion, unable to keep up with her direction of thoughts.

"I'm ticked enough to kill you"

It was stated in so serious a tone that Draco didn't even feel the need to question the possibility of it.

"You had no right to keep me from my work. I had as much interest in it as you did. What gave you the impression that you could decide who could or couldn't contribute?"

He sat back, listening to her, knowing interruption would only incense her further.

He deserved each word, anyway.

Her words should have made him cringe and run away, but instead they gave him peace, and hope.

She wasn't ignoring him, atleast.

Suddenly the prospect of the impending war seemed a small bump on the road.

"And you had the audacity to come here and sit as if…as if…nothing was wrong! Are you blind? Or retarded? Did you hit your head too hard?"

Seeing that she was losing steam, he stood up from the chair, walking towards her slowly, aware that he was treading into reachable distance.

"Stop right there or there's no telling what I'd do"

Her voice was ominous and a prudent man would have paid heed to her words.

If there had been one thing Draco had never boasted of, it would have been his sensibility.

He was at the side of the bed by now, looking down at her frazzled form.

Her eyes were wild with anger and exasperation, and her stance clearly indicated that her threat wasn't empty.

"I like being in people's way"

"You just like disobeying people"

"May be" he was smirking as he sat down on the bed, careful not to be too close to her.

He still wasn't sure she wouldn't attack him.

"You never listen to what people say. You don't see what's right in front of your face and you're the most oblivious person I've ever had the extreme misfortune of being acquainted with"

"Hmm...acquainted. Is that what you think we are? Acquaintances?"

He kept staring at her face, unable to look away from those mesmerizing green eyes.

Even in fury, they glowed.

"I hate you! What does that make us?"

She looked straight into his eyes, daring him to find an answer.

"You tell me"

He couldn't seem to get enough of her face, animated and expressive as it was.

"That makes us enemies. You should avoid me and go away"

"Do you have any idea why I'm not doing that?"

"I have a theory"

"Interesting. Let's hear it then"

"It must be because I'm as petulant as you"

"Petulant" he pronounced the word trying to find whether he liked the sound of it.

"Nice. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah! You can't seem to stay away from me because I'm the only one who will never admire you the way every single one of your girlfriends does"

"I think it'd be safe to say they are my ex-girlfriends now?"

"That's irrelevant"

"Continue"

"And…You do all this just for the heck of a challenge. Nothing more"

"You think you are a challenge to me?"

"Yes"

"Hmm…Not a bad one, though you have several basics wrong"

She only raised her eyebrows, appearing disinterested in what he had to say.

"You can never be as stubborn as me"

He held her chin in his hand as he pulled her closer to him.

"That's quite chauvinistic of you, Malfoy"

"It's the truth. And of course, the girlfriend stuff, I might have been flattered by such attention a few years back, I'll admit. Not now"

"You really expect me to believe that?"

She tried to keep her voice incredulous but she only managed a whisper.

"Your choice. And as for the 'challenge' part, it wouldn't have been necessary for me to tell you that I…"

Astoria closed her ears with her hands, trying not to hear what he would obviously say.

"…you"

"Well, women are supposed to have a soft spot for the 'L' word" she said, unwilling to let go of it.

"Really?"

"Yeah…" her answer was doubtful as she saw the wicked glint in his eyes that translated into nothing good.

"Is that why you refuse to listen to me when I tell you?"

He was suddenly very close to her, and his proximity wasn't doing anything good for her brain.

"N…No?"

His eyes almost sparkled with unhidden mischief now.

Astoria knew she was in trouble.

"Are you afraid that you'd give in?"

Even his voice was a whisper, and it was difficult to hear it above the roaring in her ears.

She was sure her face would now be resembling a cherry.

"I have nothing to be afraid of"

"Nothing?"

"Nothing"

Her heart beat erratically, betraying her words.

She had barely noticed the smirk on his lips when he kissed her, and her mind went blank.

It seemed her heart was bent on compensating for her brain, picking up enough speed to match that of a storm.

There was nothing gentle or restrained about the kiss, as she had known it would never be.

Everything was fire and flash when it concerned Draco Malfoy and there were too many emotions boiling to even think of a way to control them this time.

He was the first to pull away, and it took them a few moments to come back to normal.

Draco looked warily at her, waiting for the slap that was sure to come.

She, for her part, was unusually silent, trying for the self control that was damn elusive with him around.

Of course she had seen it coming, but somehow, her mind had decided to ignore the possibility.

There was no other way to reason her reaction, no way to rationalize the way the kiss, _he_, had affected her.

There was no way to lie to herself anymore.

She was insane and there was no cure.

" Astoria ?..."

She looked up, and saw his next words in his eyes.

"Don't. Whatever it is, don't apologize"

He did not object, resorting to sitting in the chair he had previously occupied.

He was damning himself to hell, when she spoke.

"I'm not going to say let's forget this ever happened because I know _I_ can't do that. That doesn't mean I'm going to…"

"I shouldn't have…"

"This was bound to happen one time or the other."

"No…I"

"Will you stop blaming yourself?"

"I know…"

He stopped in mid sentence, as if what he was saying was irrelevant.

"Uh…um, okay?"

There was no way she couldn't have laughed at the befuddled expression on his face.

He smiled at her laugh, and the tension left his eyes.

"So?"

"So?"

"Are we good?"

"Sure"

"Are you still sure you don't want to go out with me?"

"May be not as sure as the last time but you're still a long way from convincing me"

"I'll keep trying till I get a yes"

She had never doubted that.

"Was there another reason why you came here except to hear me shout?"

"Well…I think we ought to try out the spell sometime soon"

"It's done?"

"No! I thought we'd….sort of…work together?"

"Yeah, okay"

"I'll see you Monday?"

He stood up to leave but she called him before he could leave the room.

"I won the bet"

He appeared confused for a moment before a defeated expression came upon his face.

"We'll see about that"

A/n: Review!


	20. The Snap

_Disclaimer: Not JK…_

Chapter 20: The Snap

_Why couldn't someone be early for once_, Draco thought as he stopped his pacing. He turned to the middle of the room, staring intently at the apparatus he had arranged there. After yesterday's events, he had tried to put it together as best as he could but of course, a month's work can't be redone in a night's time. Sighing, he sat on the couch. He was glad, he had to remind himself, that they had come knocking at his door in the dead of the night two days earlier. Thank Merlin they hadn't known of the meeting that was to take place here in an hour. What if they kept watch at his flat? But they had no reason to, Draco argued with himself, though that didn't stop his worrying or his renewed pacing. If something bad happened to any of them, it would most certainly be his fault, but no, he wouldn't think of that now. He had a meeting to run, and a spell to teach. Turning toward the table once more, Draco glared at the thin silver strand that was suspended between two sticks, as if willing to insert some of his willpower into the fragile strand. It was glowing and the light wasn't dimming, so that was good. But what if it didn't work? If it didn't, they were all doomed. That much he had been able to gather from their threats. If this didn't work...

As the bell rang for the first time that evening, Draco pushed aside his anxiety and went to open the door, hoping it wouldn't be Pansy. If it was, Merlin save him from the lecture on cleanliness she was sure to deliver. But it wasn't Pansy at his door.

Astoria stood there, smiling at him. She had dressed casually for the day, her hair in a knot at the back of her head, enhancing the slenderness of her neck. She appeared tired and stressed but for once, her eyes weren't haunted or filled with sorrow. They were bright with genuine happiness as she greeted him and entered the apartment. Draco's heart clenched in that familiar way he had come to associate with being in her presence. An unconscious smile grazed his face as he led her in.

"I thought I could come help you out a bit. Looks like I thought right. You might be a good Healer Draco, but you're hopeless when it comes to organization. This place is a mess. When was the last time you filed those papers?" seeing Draco's unyielding expression, doubt crept into her next words, "You don't mind that I'm early, do you?"

"No, no I don't. You know I don't. I've managed as well as I could. It's been a while since anyone other than me has been here and I'm afraid I have lost my touch" he shrugged as he watched her look at the arrangements with a raised eyebrow.

"No joke, Draco. Let me take care of this" she went about conjuring and transfiguring anything available in the room and when she was finished, Draco could honestly say that he was impressed. What had once been his bland drawing room now resembled a mini conference hall, complete with a round table with the apparatus he had set up safely placed in the middle. She had transfigured every tiny object in the room to make uniform pieces of furniture which now sat neatly around the long table that formed a curved U. She stood gazing at the same silver white light he had been watching minutes before.

"Nice" Draco grinned as he looked at the furnishings she had conjured. He leaned on the table where it opened out at the front with the single table standing between them.

"I only hope the meeting will be over in a couple of hours" Astoria remarked with a smirk on her face, which made him suspicious. But of course he didn't let it show, putting up his usual arrogant act.

"Why is that? Got a date?" he knew he was being cocky, but he couldn't seem to help it.

"As if you don't know the answer to that. It's just that these spells will only hold for that long. I didn't want to transfigure anything permanently. You'll spend the rest of your life trying to figure out which spell I used" she gave a little laugh, no doubt imagining him befuddled and confused.

"That was so considerate, but I think there's another reason" Astoria's smile widened, showing that she was pleased that he had found that out.

"You can guess all you want about it" she replied off handedly, leaning on the table with her hands folded, the very picture of smugness.

"May be you just don't want to be in my presence for more than a few hours?"

"Ah, knew you'd figure it out" she clapped lightly, but even that action was mocking, widening his grin.

"May be because you couldn't resist me for longer than that" Astoria shook her head in disbelief, but stayed put when Draco walked to where she was standing. Draco knew, by the very look in her eyes, that she was thinking of the last time they had met.

"As if" she snorted, but her usual conviction was lacking. She knew he was just trying to rile her up, and she tried as much as she could to keep it at that. She was confused enough without having him flirt with her like they were back at Hogwarts. Staying away from him for a week, avoiding even looking at his face for a whole seven days hadn't helped clear her mind. At all. He was always there, like an annoying picture stuck in front of her eyes. And her dreams had returned to reflecting what she couldn't accept to in real life. Though she was thankful that noone was dying, she woke up irritated with herself all the time, and it worsened progressively as most of her thoughts drifted to him throughout the day. It didn't help that Daphne was always there, seemingly perpetually radiant, making her feel secure and warm. She could understand and appreciate her sister's joy, but she couldn't comprehend why it made her sulk, as if she was missing something. Daphne, fed up with her sister's moody demeanor, had accused her of acting like a cranky old bat, but it had only increased her ire. What did she expect her to do? Tap dance?

It was with the very intention of confronting Draco about it that she had decided to come earlier. Only when she had stood before his doorstep had she realized that there was nothing she could quarrel about with him. He had been quite clear about everything right from the beginning; it had been she who had been dancing around the topic. She had mentally decided to turn round but then her stupid hand had already gone to knock the bell.

Added to that had been the immense relief that had washed over her when the door had been opened by him, the smile that she couldn't even try to hide. She was almost ashamed of the way her frustration seemed to dissipate merely on seeing him. Had she become that dependent and, she almost cringed at the word, weak? Resolving to prove herself wrong, she had diverted herself from conversing with him.

Look where that led her, Astoria thought as he stood before her, only a foot apart. Even with his six foot frame, he did not tower over her and she could actually look at his face without having to sprain her neck. He was smirking at her. Nothing new there, but there was this glint in his eyes and that familiar warmth that she had seen seep into his eyes whenever he looked at her, that made it impossible for her to look away from him. She knew her crush was resurfacing, but she had no brigades to stem it, no more excuses.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" this was the first time he was seeing this side of her, this bold and outrageous side of her. It reminded him of the girl he had seen in the portrait, her flamboyance literally flowing out her eyes.

"Not afraid, but I affect you, don't I?" he was almost beside her now, and she could see his mirth reflect in the light of his eyes.

"No, you don't" she felt heat race up her neck to her cheeks, betraying her detached statement.

"Uh huh?" she _knew_ he didn't believe her, she _knew_ he knew she was lying. He took hold of her hands and her heart began thudding.

"You're nervous" he stated as he tugged at her wrists, effectively bringing her closer.

"Am not" she replied stubbornly, and he chuckled.

"I can hear you heartbeat Astoria. It's going at a hundred miles an hour" the fact seemed to amuse him. She knew he was just playing with her, but her racing pulse wasn't listening. In an effort to put some distance between them, she tried to remove her hands from his grasp. With no result, since he wasn't letting go; the spark in his eyes deepened.

"What? No retort? No clever comeback that is going to put me in my place?"

"Don't push it. I vowed not to lose control of my temper today and I'm sticking to it"

"Then you won't yell at me if I do this?" she was flush against him now, with his arms holding her securely around her waist. It would be easy, too easy, to lean into his embrace, but she resisted.

"Or this?" her eyes closed of their own accord as he leaned in and she could almost feel his breath against her cheek…

_You, your mother, your friends and every single being associated with you, Draco. We will make sure there are no survivors…_

Draco's eyes widened as the scene flashed before him and he let go of her abruptly, tormented. The scene played over and over again in his mind, the leering face of his father etched meticulously in his memory, as he doled out the threat. The one threat he knew the man, no _monster_, would surely keep.

He tried concentrating on something else, to snap out of his musings and fears. Inevitably, his eyes fell on Astoria. He could see her hurt and anger as plainly as he knew she could comprehend his fright but it was too much to hope that she knew the reason behind it.

"I do object, as a matter of fact" her voice was stony, her eyes shooting daggers at him. More like a torrent of sharp edged boulders and he felt as if he was being showered with them.

"I'm sorry"

"No you're not, Draco. You're never sorry, only frustrated that you couldn't win all the time" she stepped away from his embrace, leaving him feeling empty.

"Win? This is not a damn game, Astoria. Do you seriously think I'm fooling around?"

"Nothing you haven't done before. You were always good at using people then pushing them away. Making others feel invisible, and insignificant"

"So it's about my past now, huh? About how deluded I was at fifteen?"

"No, it's about how you haven't hanged much at all. You still throw people aside once you've grown tired of them and…"

"I'm not throwing anything away. I just need to…stay away from you for a bit"

"I don't mind. Frankly, my life was hassle free" and meaningless "and peaceful" and empty "before you came and messed it up"

"I won't be spoiling your life any longer then" he knew it was not right to take his anger out on her at her when he was in the wrong, but he had been at the snapping point for too long and her words had just set him off. He wanted to protect her and these accusations were what he had to endure?

But she doesn't know that, another part of her brain argued. The part of him that had always been enamored by her, the one which always supported her. The one that had brought him all this misery in the first place.

"Thank you" and just like that, the gossamer thread that had been holding their relationship aloft snapped into tiny bits, floating away in the air, leaving behind a link that bound them stronger than before; hatred.

Back to square one.

A/n: I'm horribly sorry for not updating sooner but the inspiration for this chapter was a bit late in coming and even now I'm not sure I did anything good with it.

Any thoughts, suggestions, please do tell me in a review!


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